


Kiss Me, Candidly

by luna_trancy



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Drug Use, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Mutual Pining, Oral Sex, Photography, Rimming, Slow Burn, Suicidal Thoughts, all that jazz, i'll add actual sex tags when we get there, it's not explicit but it is there, rose is a sleazy cuck here, tw suicidal thoughts, we love a rim job tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:54:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 51,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27221536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luna_trancy/pseuds/luna_trancy
Summary: Raihan is a photographer and agrees to taking on a job, but the moody model he has to work with makes life difficult, even if he is pretty.~Piers feels like his life is out of his hands and falling apart.  He's strung out and hopeless, but the new photographer really brings a bit of color to his suffocating life.~Are they actually made for each other?  Or will this relationship ruin them both?
Relationships: Dande | Leon & Sonia, Kibana | Raihan/Nezu | Piers, Nezu | Piers/Rose | Chairman Rose, but its super lowkey
Comments: 47
Kudos: 144





	1. Kiss Me, Never

**Author's Note:**

> Previously titled "shitfire au"  
> It's in the tags but I will elaborate here: the fic does contain some non-con, though it is only heavily implied/left vague, which is why I did not tag it on archive warnings and just in the tags. Please read with caution if it is uncomfortable (end of this chapter contains a scene)  
> I'll post these warnings at the beginning of each chapter that has that content as an extra reminder.

The shutter on the camera went off a hundred times and Raihan stepped back to review the footage. Even with his fantastic lighting, and natural light streaming through the windows, he couldn't get the glum look off his model. He guessed that was the point; a moody rocker with a resting bitch face being dragged to take photos. Though he wasn't sure if that was supposed to be captured in the photos or just kept to real life.

  
"Hey, Sonia," Raihan said, "c'mhere for a sec."

  
Sonia looked up from her phone and bounded over, her makeup brush belt jingling with each step. "Yeah?"

  
"I know you can do a better job of these bruises," Raihan said, showing her the photos. "They're blindingly obvious."

  
Sonia rolled her eyes and spun a piece of hair between her fingers. "What? You think I haven't tried? He nearly snapped my head off. And just so you know, I like where my head is."

  
"Hey, it's a job hazard."

  
"I'm only a temp assistant. Not sure if it's worth it."

  
She slapped his arm and went back to her makeup chair. Raihan shook his head, glancing back at his model.

  
Piers was the latest model acquired by Rose Studios after his music label had been dropped. He had all the looks of a rocker with his two-toned hair, tattoos and deathly tired eyes. A little bit like a pissed off skunk but with smeared wine lipstick. Raihan couldn't account for his voice but he at least nailed the striking aesthetic.

  
Bar fight bruises included.

  
Raihan sat his camera down and went to the makeup station, snatching up a bottle of foundation and a brush that seemed right for the job before walking over. 

Piers still leaned against the guitar between his legs, carefully positioned so it covered up his faux-nude body. Raihan would never put a fully naked model on his sofa prop but Mr. Rose had suggested an "edgy, nude" look. So Piers wore enough of a thong that it couldn't disrupt the illusion with a collar choker around his neck and strappy heels on his feet.

  
Aesthetics.

  
"Touch up," Raihan said, waving the brush. "I don't want any complaints."

  
From Rose. He specifically meant from the man paying him for this shoot. He normally stuck with his buddy's company but getting a chance to work with Rose Studios meant major exposure for him. Leon had been pretty understanding.

  
"If you don't want complaints from me, leave them uncovered," Piers replied. He leaned back on the sofa, the raven tattoo on his chest like a shield against whatever Raihan had to say.

  
Not a very good shield.

  
"I'm just doing my job--"

  
"Then get back behind the fuckin' camera so I can go home."

  
Fuck, so he was a diva, in addition to being violent. Raihan inhaled through his nose, trying to stay calm. 

  
"I don't want Rose to--"

  
"Then tell Rose to lay off me and the bruises won't be a fuckin' issue," Piers snapped. 

  
Raihan paused, goosebumps rising up his arms. Piers glared, only for a moment with those cold eyes all smoked out with makeup, before quickly turning away. Raihan looked over his bruises again, along his arms, his upper thighs. 

  
Something clicked in his head that shouldn't have just as the door swung open.

  
Mr. Rose walked in, tapping away at his phone and rambling off a list of orders to his assistant. He barely glanced at them but Piers still had this horrid look on his face like he'd be sick without warning.

  
That was the moment Raihan knew he should have backed out, leave this whole thing alone and just take his pictures. Because a step further meant danger and disaster but he'd always been bad at warning signs and red flags.

  
"Is there a problem?" came Rose's voice. Raihan turned around.

  
"No," he replied. "Just fixing his hair."

  
Piers gripped the neck of his guitar, pulling it to his chest with white knuckles as Raihan backed away. And Mr. Rose took his place.

  
"These bruises are wretched. Get them covered up," Rose snapped. His assistant, Oleana, looked to Sonia as if forwarding the message. 

  
Sonia scooched closer, taking the foundation from Raihan. She re-applied foundation with the cautious care of a snake handler. Rose stepped forward, tapping Piers under his chin in a motion that moved with familiarity.

  
"Smile now, you're on camera."

  
That cold exterior looked like cracks on ice as Piers tried to keep himself together. Raihan's throat closed up.

  
"We're going on break," he said. He snatched the black robe off the stool and tossed it in Piers's direction. "Ten minutes."

  
He knew he shouldn't pry but something about that look concerned him. It wasn't his business. He was just a hired photographer, here to get paid, network and get his name attached to a big company photoshoot. Then people would follow him, his work, and they'd be led right to Leon's company.

Nothing more.

  
Piers pulled on his robe and stormed outside onto the terrace, taking his cigarettes and lighter with him. Rose seemed unbothered by it, still wearing a shit-eating grin on his face. He didn't follow, but he did go sit on the sofa where Piers had been a moment ago, fiddling with his phone.

  
Raihan ignored the man and walked outside onto the terrace, cold air sweeping over him. He didn't know how Piers could stand it with just a robe and heels. Maybe the cigarettes warmed him; or his hatred of his boss fueled him.

  
"What?" Piers spat without turning. He put out his smoke and grabbed a second.

  
"Just making sure you're alright," Raihan replied, walking up. He mirrored Piers's position against the railing, resting his arms on concrete and looking down at the busy street. Piers slid away from him, just an inch.

  
"Sorry. I thought...Didn't think _you_ were out here."

  
"Thought I was Rose?"

  
Piers raised his cigarette to his lips and didn't reply. The butt came out stained wine red, matching his lips.

  
"You shouldn't be out here," Piers said. "He'll get mad if ya talk to me for too long and fire you. I've seen him do it."

  
Raihan didn't quite know how to take the warning. The threat? The line between the two blurred.

  
"I'm not concerned--"

  
"What? You saw one look and wanted to fuck me and now you think you're above whatever he'll do to you?" Piers snorted and raised his cigarette to his lips.

"Sounds stupid, 'bout right though. I know how all you photographers work."

  
Raihan clenched his fist. "You were on the edge of tears. You can act as tough as you'd like but I saw you."

  
Piers glanced at him, icy eyes still a little glossy but the cold air had no doubtedly dried him up.

  
"Just thought I'd check on you."

  
"I'm payin' for photos, not a therapy session, mate." Piers tossed his cigarette over the edge with a fast flick of his fingers. "I don't need ya to check on me."

  
Defeat came as a slap in the face on a hand with black painted nails. Raihan stepped back, throwing up his hands. An ounce of kindness shot down on pretty lips.

  
"Fine," Raihan said. "Do whatever you want."

  
He turned back to the door, just to see Rose peering out the glass. Raihan didn't care what the man heard. Piers wasn't his responsibility. Raihan slid the door open, back into the warmth of his studio.

  
He ignored Rose's silent gaze and walked back to his camera, flipping it back on with a pleasant welcome beep. He could still feel Rose's harsh eyes on him and when the burning feeling got too much, he turned.

  
Mr. Rose smiled at him, giving the loose curl of his hair a gentle spin with a finger. "Surely this break doesn't count toward the two hour session I bought?"  
"No," Raihan replied sharply. "Breaks aren't included."

  
"Wonderful," Rose said and clapped his hands together. "It would have been a real shame otherwise. I'll let you continue."

  
Raihan watched Rose walk off while behind him Oleana gazed on. Her eyes remained on Raihan's face, as if she could read his thoughts, tell exactly what went through his mind and know how to shut down any ideas that may spring up. She made him feel exposed, when he hadn't revealed anything to her but his name.

  
He quickly turned away from her. The sooner these people were out of his studio, the better.  
  
~~  
  
"I'd say that was a very successful shoot," Rose said, going through his coat pocket. "I look forward to seeing the proofs."

  
Piers shrugged, hunched over by the window of the limo. He looked forward to getting home and taking a hot bath. Anything to clean off the lingering feel of eyes on his body. Everyone had stared at him. That was the point, sure, but he never liked it.

  
Rose tapped him on the shoulder and Piers cut his eyes to look at the tiny glass bottle, filled with white and corked at the top. His blood rushed at the sight.  
"For being such a good boy and minding your manners."

  
He'd have to make a stop on the way home. He couldn't let Marnie see him make a mess of his nose. He reached for it and Rose pulled it right out of his reach.  
"Of course, you did throw a bit of a fit, I heard, about your makeup," Rose said. "That makeup artist really likes to chat."

  
Piers slumped back against the seat, his leg thumping against the floor. Oleana barely paid them any attention as she furiously typed on her laptop, stopping only to make a handwritten note. All with that same, impartial stare. Had it not been for the one time she came to work with allergies, Piers would pin her as an android.

  
"What do you want?" Piers finally asked. 

  
Rose adjusted in his seat, as if reaching for his pants. Piers was used to it so the gesture barely came as a shock.

  
"I think you can figure something out. You're good with your mouth." Rose's eyes flickered to his lips. "And that dark color looks so good on you."

  
The wine red lipstick had stained his mouth, even with the makeup remover, leaving his lips with a dark bruised appearance. And Rose liked him bruised.  
"At the office?"

  
"Why wait?" Rose pressed. Piers looked to Oleana as if her presence in the limo was an obvious answer. "Well?"

  
Piers wanted a fucking fix and Rose was going to make him blow him in front of Oleana. He'd already sat half naked in front of a roomful of people so he couldn't be expected to do this. But Rose was already fumbling with his belt as if Piers had said yes.

  
"I...I can't..."

  
Then his zipper.

  
"Chairman, perhaps you can find some other time to exploit your clients," Oleana said without ever tearing her eyes from the screen. "I need to have this completed by five and I'd prefer not to have noisy distractions."

  
She spoke so firmly, as if chastising her own boss wouldn't get her fired. Rose stopped messing with his clothes, narrowing his eyes at her. He'd sat the bottle of coke in the cup holder and it rattled against the plastic with every bump of the car. It crossed Piers's mind to lunge over and snatch it but he had nowhere to escape. 

  
"You have headphones--"

  
"Left them at the office, sir."

  
Piers's racing heart came to a slow throb. So the office then, he had a few more minutes--

  
Rose snatched him by the arm and pulled him on to the limo floorboard. He caught Piers by the jaw.

  
"It's 4:45 Miss Oleana," Rose said, adjusting his pants. "I suggest you work quickly."


	2. Kiss Me, Hopelessly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raihan gets another chance to chat with Piers and it goes about as well as the first.
> 
> ~~
> 
> Piers is faced with a decision and potentially losing the bit of hope he'd clung to for so long

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: at the ending there's some non-explicit coercive sex

Raihan didn't mind the editing process but it definitely didn't have the same excitement as taking pictures.

  
He sat at his computer, tons of photos displayed before him in his editing program. Piers really could command a camera with those cold eyes and that dark red sneer. Raihan didn't want to clean up the lipstick on his face; it added to his feral mood, his lack of care and dismissive glare. He did, however, work on the bruises.

  
Something about it stuck with him. He didn't get many clients all beat up. He remembered a model named Nessa with Leon's company coming in with a bruise on her ankle from falling off a tractor. She'd had a fit about it showing up on camera, if it could be covered, edited out; whatever it took.

  
Yet Piers didn't care, wanted them to be seen like a badge. Or a silent warning. He'd said something about Rose that Raihan couldn't remember now but he knew it had bothered him. 

  
He heard the door to his studio open and the click of it closing.

  
"In here, Lee!" he called. He was closed today and had the hours posted on the glass door, but he was expecting his friend to show up with an offering of lunch to go over some other photos.

  
He didn't expect Leon to answer. And he definitely didn't expect to see Piers walk into the studio and stand in the center. Raihan looked away from his work.  
"Uh, are you lost?"

  
Piers stared out the windows, back onto the balcony. A loose sweatshirt hung on his thin shoulders and torn jeans hugged long legs, his hair pulled up haphazardly as if it were a last minute thought. He still looked tired, heavy lidded and worn out. He eventually turned to Raihan.

  
"Nice place when it's not swarmin’ with people," he said. His voice echoed a bit, off the bare walls and ceiling, between the visible air vents. 

  
"I'm closed today."

  
Piers plucked a wrapped candy from a bowl on his way to Raihan's desk. "Door was unlocked."

  
"Not for you," Raihan sighed. "What do you need? Proofs will be ready in two weeks. States that in the contract."

  
"My jacket."

  
Raihan raised a brown, staring up at Piers. He sort of swayed in place, as if nervous or about to pass out, and he had horrible posture. Hunched over like a crooked tree limb. That collar gleamed against his throat.

  
"Couldn't find it and realized I probably left it here since it wasn't at the house or...anywhere else."

  
Anywhere else was definitely code for Rose's place, judging the sudden way Piers avoided any eye contact. He tossed the candy wrapper on Raihan's work desk. Raihan just pointed to the table across the room and ignored the tiny piece of foil.

  
"Leather one, with all the studs, right?"

  
Piers didn't answer. He crossed the room to the table, immediately looking in the chairs. Raihan couldn't quite figure him. He wasn't sure he wanted to yet he found himself curious. And curious often proved to be something incredibly dangerous when dealing with someone incredibly pretty and incredibly snappy. 

Piers checked all those boxes.

  
"So what's the deal with the other photographer?" Raihan asked as he rose. He stretched, his shirt rising at his hipbones. Piers watched him with that cool gaze with all the intrigue he'd give a head of lettuce.

  
"What?"

  
"The guy before me. You said Rose got rid of him?"

  
Piers shook his head, pushed hair from his face. "Forget it."

  
"Forget it?" Raihan snorted. "You give me an ominous warning and I'm supposed to forget it?"

  
That earned him a shrug from Piers.

  
“Look, we had a shoot set up one day and Rose had a chat with him. Next thing I know, we’re gettin’ a new photographer.” Piers pulled his smokes out of his pocket, sticking one between his thin fingers. “Answer your question?”

  
“Did…,” Raihan swallowed, lowering his voice. “Did Rose kill him?”

  
Piers’s eyes went wide. “What the fuck? No! He fired him, mate. Rose is an ass but he ain’t a killer. You think this is a mafia movie?”

  
Raihan exhaled with his hands on the table.

  
“Do you need anythin’ else?” Piers snapped. “Or can I go?”

  
Even without Rose hovering over his shoulder, Piers had a stiff attitude. Snappy, all razor edges and unwelcoming. And as much as Raihan knew very well to back off, he couldn’t.

  
“I have a question,” he said, regaining his composure a little easier now that he knew he wouldn’t swim with the fishes at Rose’s command. “What’s the deal with the bruises? You didn’t—”

  
Piers walked off, before Raihan could even finish his question.

  
“Where are you going?”

  
“Clearly I’m fuckin’ done here,” Piers hissed.

  
“You told me not to—”

  
“Shut it, already!” Piers shouted, just as the door opened and closed again. The two of them looked as Leon, thankfully, walked in carrying a bag of food. The man stopped, staring at the two of them as if he’d walked in on something truly private.

  
To an extent, it was.

  
“Whatever,” Piers sneered. “Have a good fuckin’ day.”

  
He stomped towards Leon. Whatever look he shot him did its job because Leon jumped out of his way, clutching the bag like it could protect him.

  
Raihan stood breathless, watching Piers’s hunched shoulders disappear through the door and down the hallway without so much as a glance behind him. Fearless and angry and failing to hide a palpable hurt.

  
“Uhh…,” Leon muttered. “Who was that?”

  
Raihan ran a hand over his ponytailed braids. “Piers, from Rose’s agency.”

  
“Ah.” Leon nodded and sat the bag of food on the table. “A charmer.”

  
Yes, Raihan thought, that’s the exact word he’d use to describe Piers.  
  
~~  
  
Piers inhaled his cigarette as he walked.

  
That stupid photographer had no right to fucking pry. Sure, Piers had tried to make his statement during the shoot, but that was two days ago. Right now, he didn’t want to talk about it. He didn’t want anyone to know about it. And he regretted ever hinting at it in his failed attempt to be seen.

  
But Rose wouldn’t just let anyone look at him, not unless he wanted. And if a photographer stared too long, they were gone. At least, that’s how Piers always saw it. He wondered how long Raihan would last before Rose severed their deals and they never spoke again.

  
Piers lit another cigarette. 

  
One more year of this. Of Rose and his deals and his hands leaving bruises. He had a new one forming on his arm from the other day, when Rose pulled him on his knees while Oleana worked barely an arm’s reach away. She had tried to ignore the obscenity of what happened but Rose liked to make a vile show of anything Piers did with his mouth.

  
One more year. Just one more year until his contract was up.

  
He took a cab home, to the small apartments facing the street. If Rose did anything good, it was this. Setting them up with a nice enough apartment to not worry about break-ins. He walked up the cold stairs to his second story spot and pushed the door open.

  
Kicked off his shoes.

  
“Welcome back. I took out the chicken to defrost.”

  
Piers glanced at the chicken in the sink, then at his little sister sitting at the kitchen table. She scribbled in an SAT practice booklet without ever looking up. Piers took no offense; her studies were important and interrupting her flow of thought would be cruel.

  
So instead he tapped the rock hard frozen chicken in the sink. Slowly, Marnie looked up from her book and grimaced.

  
“Sorry…I forgot to do it earlier.”

  
“It’s alright,” he said, putting the still-frozen meat back in the freezer. “Pizza night?”

  
He couldn’t be mad at her for forgetting. Her studying came first, not setting out food to defrost. And she was good at the studying part.

  
Piers made fast work of the pizza, ignoring the itch of wanting a quick fix of coke. He wasn't even tired, just annoyed from his visit with that new photographer, Raihan.

  
Raihan.

  
He was nosy, for someone behind the camera. Then again, all their photographers tended to be after a while. Probably some "get to know your client better" mentality. Or maybe he was a genuinely nice guy and that's what genuinely nice people do. Not that Piers would know.

  
He liked to avoid genuinely nice people because after a while, they weren't so genuine. Or nice. They always wanted something.

And he doubted Raihan would be any different.

They chatted while the pizza cooked, and Piers got to hear all about her studying and it devolved into her classes. She didn't seem particularly thrilled with it, just diligent. She showed more interest in the pizza.

  
His phone rang while they ate and his stomach dropped when the name flashed across the screen. 

"Is it Rose?" Marnie asked, her cheeks stuffed.

  
Piers didn't want to pick up. He didn't want whatever news Rose had and it was already getting late, which meant the news couldn't be good.

  
"Hello?" Piers gave in, raising the phone to his ear.

  
"Ah, I was starting to think you were ignoring me after the third ring." Rose had an all too-knowing tone to his voice. Piers felt like the man could read his mind, even from across town. "I need you to come down to the office. I've already sent a car for you."

  
Piers swallowed the forming lump in his throat. "I'm eatin’ dinner with my sister."

  
"Then finish up. There are some minor contract details I need to go over with you and I'd prefer to do it in person. Unless you're fine with me making these changes without your input."

  
He spoke the threat in the sweetest voice. Venom, coated in sugar crystals. 

  
Marnie looked at him, concern all over her face. But she didn't ask. Piers wondered how much she picked up on, what she knew and what she chose to avoid.

  
"I'm on my way."

  
"Good."

  
Rose hung up. Or did Piers? It didn't matter, he would see Rose either way.

  
"You're gonna have to go?" Marnie asked softly.

  
"Sorry--"

  
"Is everythin’ alright?"

  
Piers blinked, staring at her firm gaze. She had her practiced attorney's look on her face.

  
Unfortunately, Piers had come in contact with suits before and his look of innocence was just as practiced.

  
"I'm fine," he shrugged. "Just tired from constantly runnin’ around."

  
Marnie's shoulders sank and she sat back against the sofa, a little defeated. Maybe she had picked up on his sordid lifestyle, wanted to offer a hand to help him out of his pit because she actually gave a fuck. And he'd knocked away her help with a smile.

  
"Alright then..."

  
They picked up the kitchen and he left, just to find a driver already waiting for him outside. They barely spoke as Piers got in the backseat of the car, just enough to confirm that yes, he was Piers and yes, they were going straight to Rose Tower.  
  
~~  
  
Rose Tower glowed a faint red at night. Outside, from a distance, it was beautiful. A tall spiral piercing the sky, a symbol of power over Wyndon. But inside, on the top floor, Piers felt the sense of dread the place hit in its halls.

  
He knocked on Rose's office door and let himself in. Normally, he'd wait on Oleana. She'd knock, announce him and send him to his nightmare. Tonight she was gone, as were most of the other workers.

  
Rose's office had all windows, floor to ceiling, with a grand view of the city. All lights and stars, that huge ferris wheel in the distance. The world looked so incredible from up high, almost unreal, like a fairytale out of reach.

  
"Glad you decided to come," Rose said as Piers walked forward. He passed the sofa and glass table to approach Rose at his sleek desk. It was pristine, a jet black finish with papers stacked neatly on a corner.

  
Papers, Piers assumed, that had to be his contract. He wrapped his arms around himself.

  
"What's so urgent that it couldn't wait ‘til tomorrow?"

  
Rose smiled; it was more of a taunt. "We'll discuss it." He said and rose from his leather chair. Piers bounced from foot to foot. He wanted this over with. "Would you like a drink?"

  
He shivered. Those words sparked a memory he liked to keep hidden under mountains of white.

  
"No--"

  
Rose was already at his little wet bar, pouring liquors from crystal decanters. The clinking of the glasses made his ears hurt.

  
"Here," Rose insisted, turning with two glasses in hand. "It'll help you relax. You're so tight. In the shoulders that is."

  
Piers stared at the glass in front of it, presented like a harmless gift. The first time had been presented the same way.

  
He snatched it from Rose's hand and the man raised his own glass, as if to toast Piers's first drink in two years.

  
Piers walked by him, to the ugly plant by the sofa. He emptied his drink into the soil. "You don't need to drug me to get me to fuck you."

  
"You wasted a perfectly good drink," Rose said, sipping his own whatever the fuck. Piers stared at his glass, looking for residue to prove his caution wasn't leftover paranoia. "I suppose we can get down to the details of your existing contract."

  
He gestured to the white sofa and Piers sat down as he got that stack of papers, and a pen that probably cost more than the clothes on Piers's back. Thankfully, Rose sat down across from him.

  
"Your contract is up in a year," Rose said. "Then you'll be a free agent. I want to extend it."

  
Piers gripped at his knees. He had a small name for himself already. Not much but enough that a few agencies knew of him. Sort of knew his face. He'd have a fresh start to rebuild himself without Rose but...

  
"How much more are you willin’ to offer?" Piers asked.

  
Rose made good on his word to pay.

  
The man smiled like he knew the inevitable question was coming. He pulled a check from his coat, already filled, and slid it across the table. Piers snatched it up and nearly fainted at the price.

"That's not the full price, of course, just a bit of a bonus if you sign now. Your actual pay will potentially go up by 20%, depending on how well you do."  
Piers scanned the check. It wasn't much, but it would easily cover groceries for a few months and the bill for Marnie's entrance exams.

  
"I want you for another five years on my payroll," Rose said. "The contract details your further pay but I figured that advance would make you happy. That only applies if you sign now, of course."

  
Now, meaning no time to get a lawyer and look over these details. Piers sat down the check and picked up the contract, reading through it. Looking for the loopholes Rose undoubtedly threw in, hoping they'd go unnoticed.

  
"If I break off the contract, you retain the right to sue me?" Piers said.

  
"I have to protect the interests of the company," Rose said. "It's nothing personal against you."

  
Piers kept reading, deciphering every twisted legal term. He wished Marnie was here. He hated to rely on her for something like this but she had a knack for legal wording. "But it also says you have a right to my assets if I break off the contract. I...I don't think..."

  
"You don't think what, exactly, Piers darling?"

That losing the apartment was worth signing for more money. 

  
Piers remained silent. Fighting Rose with words would get him nowhere. And fighting with his fists would mean a quick jail sentence. Then Marnie is on her own and he couldn't put that stress on her. 

  
Not now.

  
"This final clause. If the company goes under--"

  
"It's a necessary statement. If anything happens to the company, all contracts are terminated, blah blah, are you finished reading?"

  
Piers gripped the paper tighter, crinkling it on the edges. He thought he only had a year left of this man. Now he wanted five more years. Piers didn't know if he could take it but it would secure Marnie in college.

  
Could he sign his soul over to this devil for that much longer?

  
"What if...What if I refuse?" Piers said. He tried to keep his voice steady. To not show any fear on his face, despite the way it ate away at his stomach like acid.

  
Rose stopped playing with the curl in front of his face and smiled. "Then you become a free agent. Start off all over on your own. We own the rights to your photos taken with us so they'll be unusable, of course."

  
"Of course." Piers had a portfolio worth several thousands of dollars with all Rose had provided. He couldn't just rebuild that overnight. Not even in a month. He sat the contract on the table and put his face in his hands. "And I doubt you'd write a sparklin’ recommendation for me."

  
"I'm a very busy man," Rose said. "And I doubt Oleana has time to do it. As I've said, you'd be on your own."

  
Piers swallowed. He couldn't start from nothing again. His heart started to pound against his chest and he felt the back of his neck grow clammy with sweat.

  
"Can you at least..."

  
"Hm?"

  
How did he even ask this?

  
"Can you not...force me to..."

  
Suck your dick. Bend over your desk. Yes, daddy. No, daddy. The list of degradation went on and Piers didn't know where to start. 

  
Rose got to his feet, walked around the table just to come sit at Piers's side. Piers felt him too close, he could smell the strong patchouli from his cologne.

  
"I own you, Piers." Rose said it so calmly and with so much conviction, Piers almost believed him. "You know that. And you know I'll do whatever I want with you. You wouldn't cum so hard every time if you truly hated it." He paused, picked up the contract just to drop it in Piers's lap. "Now, I won't make you sign this. You have a free will. But you know what will follow."

  
And he got back up, started pacing towards the window as if watching the ferris wheel was the most normal thing to do now.

  
Piers held himself back. Ignored the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't cry. Rose loved it when he cried and he couldn't let this man win. Not this time. Not now.

  
Please, not now.

  
"It would be a shame, I will admit, to lose you on our team," Rose continued. "Especially for poor Marnie. She's about to take her exams, right? Putting her through college in the hopes she doesn't end up like you."

  
Piers narrowed his eyes. "And what's that supposed to mean--"

  
"Fucking the man who signs her paychecks with the hope she'll get a coke tip at the end."

  
Piers felt the breath ripped out of him with that punch. He picked up the pen and scribbled his name with so much force and so much hate, the paper tore at the end. His signature left a scratch on the table but he didn't care.

  
In an instant, Rose snatched up the contract, then pulled out a second pen to sign the check. Piers let out a breath. It didn't quite feel like a burden had been relieved but it was done. Over.

  
Rose slid the check across the table and Piers folded it up, tucking it into his pocket.

  
"I'll have my driver stop by your bank on the way home," Rose said. "You've made the wise choice."

  
"That's all?"

  
"Unless you have any more questions?"

  
He didn't. He could leave. Be gone. Be done and get back home to Marnie.

  
"Not gonna offer me a chance for a coke tip?"

  
Rose raised a brow, curled a finger around his hair. "I wasn't wrong--"

  
"I want to get high and stop feelin’ like shit for a bit," Piers said. "Don't flatter yourself."

  
He knew Rose wouldn't care for his insults as long as he could get his dick wet. Some lube, a condom and no foreplay a minute later, Piers was bent over the sofa arm, his pants around his ankles and his finger in his nose. Rose pounded into him like they both enjoyed it. Like they both desperately want it.

Rose wanted to cum. Piers wanted to lose all sense of reality. Maybe they desperately wanted it for their own reasons. To feel something, or nothing at all.

  
Everything left him numb. Except for the ferris wheel lights. They swirled in beautiful colors, flashing designs over the wheel. No doubt music played and people laughed. It was a world so far away, Piers couldn't quite imagine what it would be like. At least not through his high stupor.

  
He simply watched the lights as Rose grunted behind him, letting his thoughts wander away into the fairytale city below. 

Into a life not meant for him.  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! Follow me @porgatine on twitter for writing ramblings!!  
> Next update will(should) be Thursday!


	3. Kiss Me, Angrily

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Working with Piers is hard. Really, really fucking hard.
> 
> But also...sort of pretty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: drug use in this chapter

  
Raihan couldn't take his eyes off Piers.

  
Certainly not in a "yearning after a mysterious sex doll" sort of way. Much more of a "I'm still pissed this guy barged into my office, had the nerve to have an attitude and now I'm taking pictures of him. _Again_ "-type of way. 

  
Sure Piers had all the sex appeal of a practiced porn star but that didn't match his nasty attitude. He was more sour than sweet and it showed with every click of the camera.

Exposure, Raihan told himself. It would better his portfolio if he didn't go insane first.

  
"I'm scared," Leon said, clutching a bottle of hairspray. "What if he, you know, kills me?"

  
Raihan rolled his eyes as he adjusted the light setting on his camera. "He won't. The most he'll do is yell at you. Just don't cry."

  
"I can't control that."

  
"Lee. C'mon."

  
Leon had a good reason for not wanting to fix Piers's hair but Raihan couldn't let him know that Piers would absolutely bite his head off with so much as a wrong look. Otherwise, they'd be here all night. Leon approached Piers cautiously, like walking up to a snarling jaguar and hoping it would roll over and not pounce.

  
Piers had a way of just looking like that. Edgy and beautiful in the most tattered way. Sure it worked--

  
Raihan shook his head and grabbed his water bottle. There was no way he seriously thought Piers was edgy and beautiful. Just annoying.  
"Your new assistant has quite a knack for hair," Rose said. He stood off to the side, as usual, with Oleana even more off to the side.

  
"Too bad he's just a temp," Raihan replied. He really needed to find a consistent assistant and stop expecting his friends to pull his extra weight around for him. Especially Leon, considering he had his own business now.

  
"Well, I wish you luck in finding a partner," Rose said. He paused, spinning that piece of hair around his finger. "Do you do nude shoots?"

  
"Yeah." Raihan almost shrugged it off as a curious inquiry when he remembered exactly who he was dealing with. He quickly added, "But it's not something an agent can sign on. Only the one getting the photographs taken. Lots of paperwork that they have to sign without interference."

  
Rose raised a sculpted brow. "Interference?"

  
"Duress. Persuasion. No one forcing them to do it."

  
Rose gave him a look, as if he were reading exactly what Raihan had implied. Raihan hadn't lied about it. They were all rules he had set, and that Leon reinforced, when agreeing to any photo session. Of course they could bring someone to the session, to feel more secure, but Raihan didn't disclose that bit to Rose.

  
No doubt he'd want to be in the room the whole time.

  
Raihan glanced up at Oleana and her cold eyes watching his every move. He wasn't out to protect Piers in some hero syndrome act of attention but he didn't like their shady practices either.

  
"Understandable," Rose finally said with his saccharine grin. "You can't let yourself be under potential liability. I can respect good business practice."

  
Raihan wanted to point out it had more to do with consent and respect, but he got the feeling Rose didn’t have those words in his smooth vocabulary. He kept it to himself, slipping away from Rose to go pick up a new extension for his camera. Not that he really needed it in the moment; he just wanted to get away from Rose.

  
_Clank!_

  
The sudden cacophony of hairspray hitting the floor, Leon’s apologizing and Piers cursing made Raihan look up. He’d been too distracted to notice what had happened, but Piers was on his feet and storming towards the door. Leon had his hands up, too shocked to even pick up the hairspray.

  
“What happened, Lee?” Raihan asked, hurrying to his side. Leon’s mouth gaped like a fish.

  
“I-I just asked about a bruise and if he fell and joked about him being clumsy,” Leon said. “I didn’t think he’d blow up—”

  
Raihan knew Leon enough to know he’d never say anything to be purposefully offensive. But a stranger didn’t have that insight. Especially not a moody one.

  
“You’ll have to excuse him,” Rose sighed, picking up the hairspray can. “He’s quite the volatile one. I hope his unprofessionalism doesn’t create waves between us.”  
Raihan shook his head. “It’s fine. Let me go check on him.”

  
Rose looked ready to intervene but Raihan hurried away before he could. He grabbed one of the bottles of water from the counter and left the studio space for the restroom down the hall. He’d check there first before rushing downstairs. He didn’t think Piers would go very far.

  
And he was right.

  
Raihan pressed the door with his shoulder and stepped into the bathroom.

  
The building facilities kept it nice. Cleaned about three times a day and always fully stocked. 

  
Piers leaned over the sink counter, his nose to grey marble. When the door closed he quickly shot up and glared.

  
Raihan stared back.

  
Yeah, it wasn’t the first time he’d seen someone hunched over a bathroom sink doing a line of whatever, but it was the first time he’d seen it during normal work hours.

  
“I’d offer ya some, but I’m all out,” Piers hummed, waving a tiny vial like a bag of candy.

  
Rage boiled in Raihan. In a single step he’d crossed the distance between them and slapped the vial so hard out of Piers’s hand the thing shattered against the wall. Piers went pale. Much more than usual.

  
“You’re not doing drugs in my studio,” Raihan snapped. “I have a reputation and I’m not allowing that here, understand?”

  
Piers stared. Clearly no one had ever slapped him on the hand as a child. Or maybe he’d been slapped too many times and hadn’t expected it from an acquaintance. Then those eyes shifted dangerously from shocked to raging ice storm.

  
He took a step close, right into Raihan’s bubble, until Raihan could see every lash, painted with heavy mascara.

  
“If ya had to put up with him all day, you’d be high out your fuckin’ mind too!”

  
“I have to put up with you,” Raihan said through his teeth. “And that’s almost as bad.”

  
Piers narrowed his eyes, making it impossible to tell what he would do next. Raihan sort of thought Piers would throw a punch. He had the volatile attitude to match a bar brawler and with drugs coursing through him, Raihan didn’t doubt his judgment was blurred.

  
Instead Piers pressed a hand against the counter, using it as a crutch as he leaned a little closer. Raihan didn’t budge and he wished his own stubbornness would let him move because Piers bumped against his chest. His heart pounded at the touch. It was too visceral and raw, clashing with emotions that wanted to explode.

Because, no matter how he saw it, Piers was fucking pretty.

  
“I may be the worst person you’ve worked with,” Piers slurred. “But I am nothin’ like that monster in the other room.” He paused, swallowed, eyes glossy enough now that when he blinked, his lashes left messy prints under his eyes. His bottom lip quivered and he masked it with a bitter laugh. “Is this where ya get fed up with me, throw me against the wall and kiss me like ya really hate me?”

  
Raihan leaned in a little more and Piers must have thought his taunt would come true with the way he gasped. But Raihan spoke clearly, so Piers wouldn’t have reason to second guess it:

  
“Don’t hold your breath over that.”

The shock faded quickly and Piers leaned in just as much, his breath a whisper against Raihan’s lips.

  
“Then don’t fucking’ compare me to him.”

  
Raihan opened his mouth to argue that they’re both shitty in their own, special way when Piers continued, in a voice too soft to be anything but a genuine plea.  
“Please...don’t compare us.”

  
That request shook Raihan more than it should. He closed his mouth, let his words fade to a what-if screaming matching in the back of his mind. Piers stepped away, the air between them less thick, and Raihan inhaled, his heart still pumping adrenaline so fast the bathroom spun. 

  
“I have to go before he comes lookin’ for me,” Piers said. “He’ll…”

  
He trailed off, shaking his head instead of finishing his thought and stepped towards the door.

  
“He’ll what?” Raihan grabbed Piers by the arm, stopping him. Stunning him. Piers’s eyes went wide as if Raihan had pulled a knife on him but that didn’t deter Raihan from pulling him back. “Did he hurt you?”

  
Piers twisted his arm away and took a step back towards the door. “Doesn’t really matter, does it?”

  
It all played out like some bad movie. Piers storming out of the bathroom leaving behind a coked-out message and Raihan following. Raihan hated that he fell so easily for Piers’s theatrics.

  
He chased Piers right out of the bathroom and it came as no surprise to him that Oleana stood in the hallway. 

  
Whatever she said to Piers, it was silent. Piers nodded along and eventually left, then she turned her cold eyes to him. Rose, nor Oleana, owned him and Raihan wouldn’t succumb to whatever she had to say. She didn’t scare him.

  
Well.

  
She terrified him, but she didn’t have to know that.

  
“Everything alright?” Raihan challenged.

  
Oleana observed him before finally, slowly, speaking. “It is now.” And she turned, walking back towards the studio. She didn’t see Raihan exhale, nearly fainting from the sudden release of tension in the hallway. He pressed a hand to the wall, catching his breath before trying to join them in the studio again as if everything was, in fact, alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and thanks for reading!!! I'll see y'all next monday with a new chapter (with actual flirting because let's be honest, we know they won't stay annoyed with each other for THAT long)


	4. Kiss Me, Playfully

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raihan gets a request, but he's a professional. And he will act professionally.   
> For the most part.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may seem a tad disconnected timewise because I ended up combining two chapters for this. One chapter just felt too short to post on its own (like, a little over 600 words short). So now there's this!

“Okay, let Sonia touch you up real fast and then we’ll continue,” Raihan said, pulling himself onto the side of the pool.

Nessa, the latest model for Champion, waded over to the steps and Sonia helped her out. 

Taking pictures on a penthouse suite was a nice change from the normal studio. Plus, he got a stellar view of Wyndon. Raihan loved the flashing lights and the huge flatscreens lighting up the streets, but he couldn’t help but miss Hammerlocke a bit. Leaving the city for a different city didn’t seem huge until he wanted to hit up a late night spot and didn’t know where to go.

“How’s it going so far?” Leon asked, squatting next to him. Raihan flipped on his camera and went through the photos.

“She’s a natural,” Raihan said.”And awesome to work with.”

“A rep from Hijiki Oka called earlier,” Leon said. “They want her to come model their upcoming winter line. Which is _massive._ ”

That sort of publicity would be major for them. A huge brand seeking out one of their models, hopefully more. It almost put them on par with Rose Studios, even though they had years and millions in advantages. 

Raihan sighed. He hadn’t been scheduled to work with them recently. He rarely ever collaborated with another company, just lending his services to Leon and his normal freelance work. He didn’t really want to work with Rose but he couldn’t stop thinking about it either.

“I spoke with Rose the other day, at the shoot,” Leon said. “He’s a pretty cool guy. He gave me a bunch of tips—”

Leon kept talking, his words barely registering in Raihan’s mind. Rose, as someone who is helpful, easy to be admired. It didn’t quite strike him as the same man he’d done business with but Raihan didn’t want to stomp on Leon’s enthusiasm either.

“Sonia thinks it’s all bad luck, though. Rose and all,” Leon continued. “Especially after that Bede kid.”

Raihan shook his head, tuning back in. “Bede?”

“Yeah. He had landed a few movie roles before completely just—” And Leon curved his hand, gesturing toward the ground. “Losing it. Spiraled out of control. The usual thing for kid stars.”

Raihan thought about Piers. He wasn’t a child by any means but losing control certainly fit the description pretty well. Maybe Rose drove all his most promising clients to drugs to deal with the work stress.

His phone buzzed as he thought about it and he picked it up, just to stare at an unknown number. The notification had a simple enough question: _Do you do senior photos?_

Whoever it was could wait. And read his website. All inquiries had to go through email and—

His phone buzzed again and this time he raised an eyebrow.

_This is Piers. Got your number off Oleana._

A buzz.

_Hi._

He read the text, hearing that gravelly voice, fresh off a pack of smokes. He quickly tapped on the phone.

_Yeah. At a shoot. Let me get back to you and we_ _’ll set up a date. I can give you a friends & family discount_

He sent it without much thought and received a fast buzz back.

_Not lookin for a handout sweetheart_

Raihan rolled his eyes. He was on a job and needed to focus. Playing games with this moody model was nowhere near on his want to-do list.

_It_ _’s not a handout. I offer it to anyone I know. Sometimes it’s less work to say thanks and move on._

This time he didn’t receive a reply. Not for a while at least. Nessa got back in the water as Leon gave pointers on what to do for the next part of their shoot. Underwater, should be easy.

Another buzz and Raihan glanced at his phone right before submerging under water.

_Fine. Thanks._

He rolled his eyes. Piers was like pulling teeth. Each one painful and bloody with little reward at the end.

But, unfortunately, he couldn’t stop.

~~

“Ya got everythin’?” Piers asked. Marnie nodded, dragging her suitcase behind her. She hadn’t packed as much as he thought she would. A modest amount of extra clothes to change between with only the bulky black boots on her feet.

“All set. I’m so excited!”

Piers was too, for the most part. Sure seeing that snarky photographer wasn’t how he wanted to spend his Saturday, but Raihan really had offered a good price. And Marnie’s excitement eased him up a bit too. He almost backed out, as the week went on but waited too long to cancel.

Now he had to stick with it and see Raihan.

He would have asked Rose to help with the photos, and a car to the place, but he knew very well Rose would want something in return. Besides, he was more than capable of taking care of Marnie without the extra help.

Due to his own pride and stubbornness, sure, but he could do it like he did everything else.

Their uber ride showed up after a short wait and they were soon on the way to the studio. He easily recalled the last time he’d been there. In retrospect, getting high in the bathroom while on a professional shoot may have been a bad move. He didn’t really feel bad but he did owe Raihan an apology. Or some sort of acknowledgment of his shitty actions.

He didn’t give a shit for how poorly it reflected on Rose Studios, but it affected Raihan. And he didn’t want to inflict another person with his fucked up baggage.

The driver came to a slow stop in front of the brick building and Marnie’s eyes went wide.

“This is it?” she asked.

“Pretty neat, huh?” Piers said, stepping out and taking her luggage with him. Five stars to the driver for not saying a word, plus a tip. “The studio isn’t bad either. There’s a nice terrace and he has keys to the rooftop too.”

Her eyes lit up bright and she did a happy leap towards the door. 

Could any of this had been possible without Rose? Piers often wondered where he drew the line between his own talents and the connections he’d made through Rose. How dependent he’d become on Rose’s connections to get anywhere.

He hated it.

Rose had him wrapped around his money. They both knew it. But Marnie was so happy so maybe it was worth it?

~~

“You never mentioned you had a sister.”

Piers looked up as Raihan leaned against the back of the sofa. Marnie had darted over to Sonia, Raihan’s assistant. She had her stacks of makeup and brushes, with every imaginable shade of eyeshadow possible. Marnie looked so thrilled. Sonia had been included in the price, thankfully. Her rates were pretty fucking high but the woman could work magic on anything she touched with those brushes.

“I don’t mention a lot,” Piers said. “In case ya missed the memo.”

The quip was unnecessary. Raihan may have interrupted his bathroom break during their shoot, but he didn’t really strike Piers as a shitty guy. Well, maybe the type to ghost you after a one night stand and send dick pics late at night but nothing more harmful than that.

Raihan wrinkled his nose at him. “Oh, I definitely got the memo.”

Most everyone Piers worked with would back down from his nasty attitude, save for Rose. Another thing Raihan did: not give a shit about how abrasive Piers’s came across. That, at least, was refreshing.

Marnie dressed in her first outfit and Piers stepped aside to lounge on the sofa that had been pushed out of the way. He was familiar with it; it was the same one he’d sprawled out on, half naked, the first time he met Raihan. Bruises on full display as if Raihan could somehow help.

Or his photos.

That had been a longshot and already shut down. He’d signed on his deal with Rose. And he knew that extra bit of money had bought enough silence for Rose to fuck with for another five years.

The camera shudder went off and Marnie threw pink and black balloons up.

“That one came out great,” Raihan said.

“Can I see?”

He walked over to her, lowering the camera and her eyes went wide.

Five more years. Piers could survive five more years of torture if it meant keeping Marnie secure and happy. He desperately wanted to get back into singing but Rose had promised so much more with a modeling contract. He could use that time to work on music or something.

Anything.

Marnie went to change and Raihan turned the camera to him. The click went off before Piers could stop him.

“What?”

“You were smiling,” Raihan laughed, flipping through his pictures. “Look, I’m trying to capture the whole experience. You’re family, so you’re part of it.”

Piers went red in the face. It’s not like he was dressed for a shoot. He’d worn thumb holes into the sleeves of his dark shirt and his hair was a mess, day-old eyeliner messier. He didn’t exactly exude camera ready. Not like Marnie, or Raihan.

But Piers assumed he was always camera-ready because it was his job. Even wearing something as simple as dark-wash jeans and a grey shirt. Every piece of material hugged him in a way that made it _noticeable._ Arms and abs, all of that. 

“I…I guess,” Piers mumbled. He caught a piece of loose hair and tucked it behind his ear. Raihan snapped another few pictures. “What!”

“You’re just a natural,” Raihan laughed. “I’m not…trying to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“You’re not.”

“Good.”

Rose called him a natural whenever he sucked dick. He preferred Raihan’s version.

Marnie came out in her next outfit and they went back to photos. Between each pose, she’d ask Raihan about his camera and he would pause to tell her every excruciating detail. She’d always loved taking pictures but they never really had the funds to let her explore with a camera of her own. Not a huge, professional one at least. She always snapped pictures on her phone.

“Don’t take up all his time,” Piers called from his sofa. “He probably has other clients.”

He said it gently but Marnie still looked disappointed until Raihan grinned.

“There’s no rush. This is my only shoot today,” Raihan replied. “I’ve got all the time in the world for questions.”

Piers quirked an eyebrow. “Be careful whatcha say. She’ll talk your ear off with all her questions.” 

Raihan’s smile was dismissive, but not cruel. Amused, maybe? Piers didn’t quite know but he definitely didn’t feel any true animosity. None that wasn’t brought on by himself, at least. He pulled the sleeves of his shirt over his hands and sank back into the sofa as Marnie chatted with Raihan over his cameras.

It was nice. In the same odd way walking in a cool rain felt on bare skin. And not being high sort of helped.

Raihan was a breath of fresh air and Piers needed to stop blowing him away.

The camera clicked and Piers looked up. Marnie had skittered off to change and Sonia filtered through her piles of makeup. Raihan faced him, the shudder on his camera going wild.

Piers slouched against the arm of the sofa, his fist digging into his cheek in the most slumped way possible with a frown on his face. Raihan laughed and raised his camera, snapping more pictures as if the frumpy way Piers sat didn’t bother him in the slightest.

So Piers stuck out his tongue. Flipped him off. Hid behind his hair. 

An experience. That’s what Raihan had called it. 

The changing room door opened and Marnie stepped out in a poofy pink dress with her leather jacket and scuffed up boots.

“Can we do a shoot on the rooftop?” she asked, hopeful.

Raihan returned his attention to her and Piers exhaled, breathless with flushed cheeks. Were they—

Flirting?

Was that what you did after getting chastised in a bathroom for doing a line of blow during work hours? 

What even was flirting? He was so used to Rose fucking him on demand that he really didn’t know how to flirt. But without Rose breathing down his neck he didn’t feel quite so suffocated either. 

“Hell yeah!” Raihan said. “Piers, you coming?”

Marnie and Sonia were already waiting by the door as Raihan picked up some of his gear. Piers had half a mind to stay behind, finish his sulking but then Raihan smiled, in the most gentle way possible.

“Uh, yeah,” Piers replied, sliding off the sofa. “Do ya need any help with that stuff?”

~~

“Today was fun,” Raihan said. “I think I needed the break.”

He put away his camera, the equipment and his laptop, all into their respective bags as Sonia cleaned up her makeup. She shot him a look.

“A break flirting?”

Raihan’s cheeks grew hot. “I wasn’t—”

Sonia snorted. “You’ve never made bedroom eyes at anything other than the food from Bob’s Your Uncle. And you were all eyes all over Piers. What the hell changed?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. Alright, maybe Piers was cute without all the photoshoot makeup and ridiculous fashion costumes. And without Rose around, Piers felt approachable. Had nothing to do with Raihan having a blatant weakness for tired eyes and oversized sweaters on cute guys. Whatever. Piers pulled off the look.

“He’s difficult,” he defended. “I was just trying to make some connection with him outside of Rose.”

Sonia twisted her mouth like she was considering his response. It wasn’t a total bullshit lie.

“Whatever,” and she shrugged. “I just think you are definitely flirting with disaster on this one.”

He didn’t want to admit she was undoubtedly right and let her win this. He let the topic fade as his phone rang, stepping aside to look at the name that flashed across the screen, now that he’d saved it in his phone.

“Hey, did you forget something—”

“YOU GAVE HER A FUCKIN’ CAMERA?” Piers screamed from the other end. Ah yes, absolutely charming.

“It’s old,” Raihan said. “I’m not using it and she really took an interest—”

“Ya should have asked!” Piers continued. “That was totally inappropriate. What the fuck is wrong with ya?”

He could hear Marnie fussing in the background but Piers’s angry tone carried over hers, and any coherent thoughts Raihan had.

“I didn’t mean anything by it,” Raihan said. “I’m not using—”

“I don’t fuckin’care!” Piers snapped. “If she wanted a camera, I can buy it for her myself!”

“And waste money?”

“Do _not_ preach to _me_ about _my_ money.” His words came out venomous, Raihan feeling them puncture his skin and sink in deep.

“Look, I am sorry,” Raihan said. “I—”

The line went dead. He pulled his phone away, staring at the Call Ended flashing across the screen. Then he looked up to Sonia as she sipped her iced coffee, brows raised in a silent look that screamed “I told you so” even if she’d given him no real warning.

So much for flirting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading and liking and commenting!! I will see y'all next update on thursday!!
> 
> Follow me on twitter @porgatine or tumblr @heichou-espurr. Mostly active on twitter and I'm nonstop screaming about NaNoWriMo right now <3


	5. Kiss Me, Desperately

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piers is at a loss, and making very bad decisions is his specialty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BTS: My cat stepped on the keyboard and I was so busy moving him I didn't realize he'd deleted like 4 paragraphs. I almost posted, did another read through, had a WTF this doesn't make sense for SHIT moment and realized my writing buddy tried to sabotage me.   
> ANNNYYYYYYYHOO enjoy the chapter!!

Piers flipped through the photos Raihan had sent from the shoot. It was the first time in almost two weeks that they’d talked and it wasn’t much.

_The link for the photos will be ready today. I_ _’ll email you later._

Piers sent his thanks, somehow thinking Raihan would follow up with…something.

Maybe ask him how he was doing. Apologize again because Raihan seemed like someone who would over-apologize for everything even when it wasn’t entirely his fault. Piers had been wrong on that. He really knew how to burn bridges before he ever properly completed them. Although...

He kept glancing at his phone. Specifically, he kept glancing at the conversation with Raihan. He knew Raihan had no reason to ever contact him outside of work. And he didn't have a reason to strike up a conversation unless offering an apology. He picked up his phone, typed out a few words, deleted them, typed again with the same meaning and different phrasing, deleted.

And sat his phone facedown. He thought about just turning it on silent but...

Rose. Thankfully the man hadn’t called him in for anything. A recent Bede incident had really occupied the man’s attention and it left very little space for other pleasures. Though Piers could go for a fix, he hadn’t had the stress to drive him to really want it.

Though he also needed money and that required working with Rose. Sure a second, or third job, would have been great but Rose kept him on weird schedules that annoyed every other job he’d had.

The back and forth stress made writing song lyrics easy, at least. Not that his modeling really had room for it, Rose made certain of that. He didn’t want to give it up, though. Piers enjoyed his singing and spilling his heart onto paper, in lines of pretty words, really relieved some of his other stresses.

Like Rose inquiring about nude photos. Him taking nude photos. Pretty sure that wasn’t in their detailed, no-loopholes contract—

The door opened and slammed shut. Piers pushed himself up, to sit on his bed instead of lounging across it. Marnie’s steps sounded uneven as she walked through th apartment.

“Marnie?” Piers called. He felt unsure of even calling for her or moving from his spot. He got to his door just in time to see her enter her room, slamming her door closed.

Then the wails that soon followed.

Piers hurried to her door and rapped a finger against it. “Hey. What’s going on, why are ya—”

“I failed.”

Piers narrowed his eyes. “What are ya talkin’ ‘bout—”

The door swung open. Eyeliner ran down her cheeks. She’d thrown off her jacket and kept wiping her eyes with her arms. Black streaks smeared over her skin.

“I got my test results back,” she whimpered. “I…I didn’t…I missed three marks and I…”

Her voice shattered and his heart sank. He quickly reached out, pulling her close as she continued to cry into his chest. Fuck the test, seeing her upset broke his heart much more. He gently stroked her head, one of her ponytails coming loose.

“It’s alright,” he said. “Marnie, ya did your best.”

“I failed ya, bro.”

“You didn’t,” Piers said. “Three away from a perfect score is still amazing—”

“It’s not enough. Scholarships need perfect scores and…I’m not enough—”

Piers quickly cupped her face, snot dribbling above her lip. “You will always be enough, understand? And if anyone tells ya otherwise, tell ‘em your brother ain’t scared of the law and that he can hide a body.”

She laughed, but it was weak. Heartless. 

“I won’t get a scholarship.”

His own anxiety built up. College was a competitive sport, played with either money, athletic ability or incredibly high grades. The test pressure was enough to drive anyone crazy.

It was unfair and gross.

“Let me see about getting ya a redo, alright?” Piers whispered. “We’ll figure it out.”

“A retake is almost twice as much—”

“And we’ll figure it out,” Piers reiterated. “Understood?”

She nodded, though slow, and Piers hugged her again. He didn’t know where he’d get that extra money but he had a good feeling with some good mouthwork, he could convince Rose.

~~

  
  


Piers hated the way Oleana's heels clicked on the cold tile flooring. Each one a clock tick, counting down to a dreaded conversation. She stopped at the door, then looked at him with something like sympathy in her stern eyes.

"Are you sure this can't wait?" she asked. Piers rubbed his arm. With his shoulders hunched forward, and her skyhigh heels, they were the same height.

"It's not about a fix."

She inhaled and opened the door, poking her head inside. "Piers is here to speak with you."

A pause followed then Piers heard his voice.

"Let him in."

Oleana stepped aside, holding the door, as Piers walked passed her. He could smell her perfume, something high end, and he walked inside. The door clicked behind him like the bars of a cell.

"Sorry to show up unannounced but ya hadn't returned my calls--"

"Needed something to snort that badly?" Rose said, already digging in his desk drawer. "I'm actually quite busy at the moment. A potential press problem has come up and I need to maneuver it personally."

Piers wracked his brain for recent news stories and only one came to mind: Bede. Rose tossed a baggy on the edge of his desk. Piers had to focus.

"I don't want coke, I want..."

The words hurt to admit. Rose raised a brow.

"Haven't had a fuck in two weeks and you're already desperate?"

"I need a job. Fast," Piers said. "I need to make some extra cash as soon as possible and I don't wanna do anything sketchy for it."

Sketchy, as in let Rose fuck him for a weekend. Last time, that had resulted in a hospital visit that still left Piers worried any time Rose so much as shoved a finger inside him.

"I'll see what I can find--"

"Please," Piers said. "Or even an advance would be great. Marnie needs to retake this test and--"

"I could pay for the test," Rose said. "Piers, I am still your friend. And I don't mind helping you or your family out."

Piers didn't want a handout. It was the same as that fucking camera. He could get it himself with the given opportunity.

"I can pay ya back," Piers said. 

"This is what I can do," Rose said, folding his hands in front of him, the way he did with every professional meeting and shady deal. "I can give you an advance, and take it out of your next paycheck. Or I can give you the money, and you can return the favor."

The smile that followed made Piers want to run, blatantly told him this was a bad idea. He'd already sold his soul over, losing whatever dignity was left shouldn't hurt this much. He feared a paycut on a check. He didn't know what sort of bills would come up, what would be needed, what sort of accidents that could happen.

"I can...owe ya a favor then.” Piers could already feel regret creeping into his stomach. "Or pay ya back, once I have the money."

"That's fine," Rose quipped, checking his watch. "When do you need the money by? I'll have it wired over."

"Just...end of the month, please."

Rose got to his feet and walked over, tossed the baggy of blow and just assumed Piers would dive for it. Like a trained monkey, Piers caught it.

"Very well. I'll see to it. Now, I hate to chat and run with you especially--" And Rose paused to cup Piers's chin between his fingers, "but I have a PR meeting in about ten minutes. I need to prepare and, preferably, I need you out of here, gorgeous."

Piers pocketed his drugs and left without any further comments. He hurried out into the hall, catching a breath that burned his lungs and ribs. Owing Rose an ambiguous favor pushed bile into his throat. Piers quickly threw himself into a potted plant and vomited over green foliage.

Only after wiping his mouth and sweat from his temples, did he stand on wobbly feet and make his way to the elevator, heart heavy with dread.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! It's all downhill for Piers from here <3 Love y'all and see y'all Monday for a new chapter!


	6. Kiss Me, Secretly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raihan runs to the hospital to visit a friend, but ends up running into the last person he thought would have a heart to be seen there

"I don't really know if visiting the hospital should go up on the company's Instagram page," Raihan said, angling his phone so it caught Leon, Sonia, the flowers and Wyndon Medical Center, with perfect lighting.

"Hey, it shows we care!" Leon snapped back. Sonia pulled him back to her side and smiled.

"Yeah, but it's not like you're visiting the cancer ward and making donations."

Leon stepped out of place again. "Rai, just take the picture!"

"Can you hold still so he _can_ take the picture!" Sonia squeaked.

Raihan got a great shot then logged in under the company account, posting the photos and hashtags to match.

"How did Hop break his leg again?" Raihan asked as they got to the sliding doors, passing EMTS.

"Skateboarding," Leon said. "And it was his arm."

Sonia raised a finger. "You said leg."

"Whatever it was, it's broken and he's doing fine," Leon said. He spit a leaf from his mouth. The huge thing of flowers and balloons he carried really had a mind of its own with the mission of getting in his mouth.

"Is he still going to the lake this weekend?" Raihan asked. "Seems...hard."

"No, I'll keep him home," Leon said. "I can't have him breaking something else. Goofball."

"Just like his older brother."

Sonia squeezed between them, tapping at her phone. "Hey guys, that Bede kid was hospitalized _again_ last night. I bet it was here."

Raihan looked up at the medical center. Bede had worked for Rose, same as Piers. Then headlines shot up last week about an overdose, which led to several thrown together press conferences with Rose himself. The latest had been early this morning.

He didn't like the fact that Bede had spiraled to rock bottom, but seeing Rose sweat a bit put a smile on Raihan's face.

They checked in at the front desk, and then proceeded to the elevators, all while Sonia rambled off more news. At least she only read the juicier stories. 

The elevator binged and they exited, following the signs and door markers. Raihan was pretty sure if he or Sonia hadn't come, Leon would have ended up in the maternity ward, easily. They finally found Hop's room, and saw him up, playing on a handheld game--

"Arm," Leon said, pointing as they entered. Hop looked up and his eyes went wide.

He was the spitting image of Leon. Same bright expression and grin, though with a much firmer sense of direction than his brother. Sonia walked over and hugged him as Leon sat down the balloons and flowers.

Apparently, his skating accident had turned into a stairs accident when he tried to jump them. A poorly timed landing that landed him in a hospital bed. Hop didn't seem too put down by it. His cast already had a few signatures. Gloria and--

"Marnie," Raihan laughed, fist bumping Hop’s good hand. "Punk girl with ponytails, real serious?"

Hop's eyes went wide. "Y-Yeah, how did you--"

"I just did her senior photos," Raihan said. "I know her..."

Brother. But the word never left his hips. Talking about Piers, right now, would only hurt. He'd really upset Piers with the camera thing.

And as always, Sonia picked up on it and kept the conversation moving. "She's really nice. Are you in a bunch of her classes?"

"Yeah," Hop said. "She's super smart, too. Like, a genius. Totally not fair."

"But you got looks, right?" Leon nudged his shoulder and Hop rubbed his arm. "Just like your bro."

Hop rolled his eyes. "Whatever. She's going with us this weekend, too."

"Your arm is in a cast," Leon said. "Are you sure you want to go down to the lake?"

"I'll stay off the jetskis."

They laughed, though Leon seemed very unconvinced. Raihan sank into a chair by the window, the afternoon sun warming his back when his phone went off. He pulled it out, glancing at the name with too much hope it may be Piers when he instead saw Sonia.

She laughed with Leon and Hop, typing at her phone nonchalantly. He opened the message.

Sonia: _U ok?_

Was it that obvious?

Raihan typed back to her.

_I'm good_

He watched her carefully. It was impossible to determine what was news, text, Instagram or Snapchat with the way her blue nails danced over the screen. His phone vibrated in his hand, just as Leon sat next to Hop to have a turn on the Switch.

Sonia: _If you're worried about him TEXT him. It's highkey obvs you want to._

She followed it up with an eyerolling emoji despite her even expression not changing. No doubt she was the exact sort of girl to sext at the grocery store while shopping with her grandma.

Raihan leaned on the arm of the chair, typing back just as fast.

_I'm not and I don't. I'm just trying not to lose a customer._

It was a bit of a lie. A lot of a lie. He watched Sonia's even expression for any sort of change, but she was an expert at hiding whatever was going on in phone world.

Sonia: _Sure thing._

Eventually, Leon let on he hadn't had a bite to eat, and though Hop offered him his leftover jello, Leon didn't seem pleased with it.

"I'll go to the vending machines," Raihan said, "and see what I can scrounge up."

"If you need cash, there's some in my purse," Sonia said. "Take it with you."

He scooped up her purse, weighing him to the side like a bag of bricks, and left the room in favor of his search. 

Really he needed a bit of fresh air. He thought about scurrying outside for a minute but even that would take too long. Maybe texting Piers wasn't such a bad idea. He didn't really like him but he couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for the guy.

No parents around, taking care of his younger sister, not getting a fair cut from his wealthy boss. A boss who had chauffeurs, designer suits and shoes, called all the shots but still left his models scrambling, bruised and scared.

Raihan walked down the sterile hallway towards the vending machines, passing nurses in their brightly colored scrubs. One wore a neon fuchsia and the color made him think of Piers. Anything made him think of Piers.

Alright, maybe he literally couldn’t stop thinking about Piers and subduing it drove him crazy.

"That bitch owes me a camera!"

"You're really going to fight Rose on this--"

He was already digging some change out of Sonia’s purse when he saw a man with a camera run into the waiting area, holding his nose. A woman with a mic tucked under her arm tried to examine him.

He tossed his broken camera on the floor, cursing wildly. Raihan raised a brow.

It wasn't every day reporters stormed a hospital where sick people lay in beds, then complained about Rose. Curiosity quickly won and the vending machines went neglected as Raihan scurried down the hallway the man had come from.

Rose didn't strike Raihan as someone who frequented hospitals. And Oleana didn't seem like the type to break--

"Raihan?"

He'd totally missed the door opening and closing but that dire voice sent a chill down his spine, grounding him in place.

Oleana stood in the doorway, closing it so soft the click barely whispered. He caught the name on the plaque next to the room before she moved in front of it, crossing her arms. He held her gaze, pretending he hadn't read Bede across it.

"What are you doing here?"

"Visiting a friend," Raihan said. "I got lost on the way to the vending machines."

She narrowed her chilly eyes and pointed down the hallway, the way he'd come. "Around that corner."

Raihan spun around as absentmindedly as he could. "Wow, I totally missed them! Uh...thanks!"

He went to leave and felt a vice grip on his bicep. Sure he was bigger, taller, had as much muscle as a professional athlete and could no doubt toss a woman in Louboutins. But he froze when Oleana grabbed him, feeling all will to flee ciphered right out.

"Don't..." She swallowed and lowered her voice. "Don't tell Rose you saw me here."

Raihan blinked. He'd expected something...he didn't know what. Threatening? Her tone was more of a plea than a threat.

He relaxed and her fingers loosened to just hanging on his shirt.

"He'll see in the news--"

"He knows I'm here, I meant don't let him know _we_ spoke."

Slowly, Raihan nodded and she finally let go. He took a step back, looking at her, the way she held her arm and avoided his gaze. This was the same woman he'd seen at photoshoots, staring, ice in her veins, deep in Rose's shadow like a haunting spectre.

"You punched that camera guy's camera."

"I slapped it and he dropped it," she corrected, quickly examining her perfect manicure. "It's not my fault he had a loose grip."

She said it so calmly, like she truly believed it. Maybe it was true, he didn't know. But he knew he had questions.

"You should go, before any other photographers come running. I’d like for him to keep you employed a little longer," she said and turned. Their conversation was over and there was no room to negotiate. She stepped back into the room, attempting to block the view, but Raihan definitely saw Bede curled up on his side, awake, with a familiar broken look in his eyes.

He'd seen the look before, whenever Rose was so much as mentioned in front of Piers. It made Raihan’s stomach turn as he walked back down the hall, his curiosity burning more than it had been a moment ago, and whatever hunger he had, gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all!! As always thanks for reading and liking and commenting!! I'll y'all on thursday with a new update! <3


	7. Kiss Me, Fearfully

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some nights are bad. Some nights make you want to make the worst decisions of your life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **CW WARNING PLEASE READ**  
> I'm posting this here and I'm adding tags to the fic, but there are suicidal thoughts/considerations in this chapter, towards the middle. Please PLEASE skip to the last part if you are uncomfy reading. I don't want it to sneak up on anyone.
> 
> ~~
> 
> I'm sure everyone thought I had this paragraph formatting down for AO3 but surprise. I'm awful.   
> For reference, there's a scene in Requiem for a Dream that this chapter is ~loosely~ based on in case you're wondering what the fuck

  
Piers had been confused when the suit arrived at his door. He hadn't worn one in so long that when the box arrived, he almost googled instructions. A follow up text from Rose came a day later:

  
_My favor. I need you to come with me to a charity auction on friday._

  
Piers hadn't asked and he assumed Rose's real favor had to do with him going back to a hotel room, after the event, and doing whatever the man wanted. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, except he'd probably get a free meal.

  
And considering Marnie was going out of town for the weekend, he wouldn't have bothered to cook anything other than a poptart for himself. For once, Rose had pretty good timing.

  
He saw Marnie off and then put on his suit. It probably cost as much as two months of rent but he didn't let himself dwell on it. He pulled up his hair, didn't really bother with his messy makeup from the day and waited for Rose's chauffeur to pick him up.

  
He didn't expect Rose to be waiting for him with the driver.

  
"You clean up nice for a bit of a junkie," Rose pleasantly greeted. Piers shrugged, hunched over. Rose wore a nice suit in the deepest shade of red Piers had ever seen. It was flashy and tacky; he'd expected nothing else.

  
"Can we go?" Piers said, pulling on the car handle. "I'm fuckin' starvin'."

  
More of a surprise than Rose greeting him was Oleana's absence. Covering up for Bede's accident must have the poor woman up to her neck in press problems. 

  
"Unfortunately, Oleana couldn't make it," Rose said. Piers shivered, slightly afraid Rose had managed to read his mind when the man gestured to Oleana's usual spot, currently empty. "She had a prior engagement. She also hates these sorts of events so if there's a chance to avoid it, she won't come."

  
Piers pressed his palms into his knees, his knuckles turning white. "She doesn't strike me as someone interested in charity."

  
"That's why I invited you. Besides..." Rose slipped a hand on Piers's thigh, in a way that felt more possessive than it should. Piers didn't respond, kept his hands on his knees as Rose tapped his fingers on the inside of his thigh, making his stomach curl in disgust. "This event is special. I think you'll enjoy yourself tonight."

  
And he smiled. Like usual.  
  
~~  
  
The event was in some skyscraper in Wyndon. It had a view of the ever taunting ferris wheel, rotating slowly with pink and blue lights. Piers had lived in the city for some time now and he still hadn't checked out the little amusement park. It was a long cry from the dingey streets of Spikemuth. Although, he'd give just about anything to move back to those dingey streets he knew and loved.

  
The charity gala was as he expected. All old men with beautiful young dates, like trophies put on display for who could afford the prettiest escort and, by default, had the most money. Two huge burly guys stood around the entrance doors, checking invitations and keeping anyone not invited out, as if to full emphasize the exclusivity of the event. Oleana would have been a much better fit, Piers thought. 

  
He hung over the food, hors d'evours on display: something had figs with jam and cheese, spiced olives, a cracker with caviar and an airy cream, glasses of champagne, mousse in all varieties and the daintiest petifores he'd ever seen. He prefered the greasy Wyndon street food but this was free and readily in front of him.

  
And as he ate, he watched. Rose mingled with his rich friends, occasionally gesturing to Piers while at the tables and receiving glorious praise. Piers tried not to roll his eyes. So bringing his favorite model scored Rose points with his pervert buddies. Piers knew there was something more to this favor than just showing up to be eye candy judging by their hungry stares.

  
He just didn't know how much more.

  
Sipping his specially requested water, he filled up his plate and wandered around the floor, listening to as many people as he could. One topic kept rising up, lingering like something to happen.

  
_Performances._

  
Who was performing? Rose was so chatty, Piers was sure he would have heard the man ramble about any performers. Maybe they hadn't shown up? It couldn't be a surprise, everyone knew about it.

  
A waiter came by with empty glasses, as another swept in with fresh ones.

  
"You're Rose's doll, aren't you?" One man asked, coming in far too close. Piers looked him over, nodded.

  
"What of it?" He popped another fig-thing into his mouth as the man eyed-him.

  
Correction, eye-fucked him. Shamelessly in front of a crowd of people. Licked his lips and dared to look him head to toe like fucking merchandise. Piers forgot to swallow he was so taken aback by the audacity.

  
"I look forward to what you're able to do later," the man said with a wink that made Piers vomit a little into his mouth. Thankfully his food pushed the bile down.

  
Piers returned the smile through a grimace. “I gotta shit.”

The old creep looked confused but it left Piers an opening to walk off without excusing himself.

  
Something was wrong. Horrifically wrong. He glanced at the crowd again, at every young person and their old, rich escorts. Of course there were no pictures of boats or signed sports memorabilia or summer houses in Kalos for auction.

  
They were the--

  
He felt a hand on his back then saw Rose's smiling face. "Come along. We're about to get started."

  
Piers couldn't stop himself from walking with Rose. It all came as an automatic response. He was so used to it, so fucking trained, he always did as told. He never went against Rose's request and this would be no different.

  
They entered a room with low lighting. But Piers could see the arrangement of the chairs, in almost a circle, a makeshift stage in the center. He heard a young woman ask what this was and her patron quieting her down.

  
It couldn't just be an auction if they had to perform. 

  
Piers stopped so suddenly, a man knocked into his shoulder. Water sloughed out of his glass. Rose spun around and caught him by the wrist, pulling him out of the way. Without thinking, on fear-induced adrenaline, Piers jerked his hand back and Rose stared, stunned by the defiance.

  
"I gotta take a piss."

  
"Just hold it--"

  
"No," Piers sneered. "I have a minute, people are still comin' in."

  
Rose's eyes went wide. There was a first time for everything and judging by Rose's dumbfounded look, this was his very first no.

  
"A lot of buyers are into that," one man said walking by. "Have him wait."

  
Piers wouldn't perform anything for anyone. But he couldn't let Rose know that. He had to stay calm. Play oblivious. 

  
"I'll be quick," Piers said calmly and turned, pushing past people. He heard Rose behind him, trailing close. "Shouldn't ya save us seats?"

  
It was a gamble. And it could go horribly wrong. Piers shoved his trembling hands into the coat pockets and prayed to whatever god would listen that Rose hadn’t noticed his shaking. He just hoped this thing didn’t have reserved seating.

  
"I'll wait for you out here," Rose finally snapped. "Make it quick."

  
Piers rolled his eyes and walked off. First to the food table to grab something to eat because his stomach ached from the rush of adrenaline and his knees wanted to give out. He didn't know where to run without Rose seeing but he wasn't going to let anyone there fuck him on that makeshift stage while old men paid him.

  
Those two muscular guys still lingered, a little lax now, but no less deadly. They had never been there to keep anyone out; they were there to keep people in. The elevators were out of the question.

  
He picked up his food, as another man stood nearby, simply watching him. Piers kept up his facade of dismissive annoyance hiding his fear and headed to the bathrooms. All the while Rose watched. Waited.

  
Thankfully the bathrooms were in a bit of an enclosed space, out of sight.

  
He couldn't cry until he was safe and he didn't know where safe was, if it even existed. He’d never felt so trapped. Like all the walls wanted to close in, the lights too bright, the sounds of distant taunting too loud. 

  
Breathing felt like inhaling a nonexistent fire, where his vision blotted and weakness crept back up into his knees. Suffocating. Trapped.

  
Then he saw it. Splattered blood red and hanging in neat letters above a door.

  
Exit.

  
The stairs. Right down the hall, a few feet from the bathrooms.

  
He glanced once over his shoulder and when he saw no one, he ran to it. For a moment, it stuck, not budging, then the door's weight gave against his own and he inhaled the concrete stairwell. 

No alarms went off either.

  
He couldn't go downstairs. If he tried to leave, he'd be caught, dragged back up and humiliated further.

  
Catching his breath, he sprinted up the stairs. Two at a time, sometimes three. He fell once, skinned up his knee and it ached for another ten flights. He didn't stop, to check the bruising or the tear in his fine suit, purchased on Rose's fucking penny.

  
Marnie needed that test retake and he was running from a chance to provide for her. But he couldn't stomach what would possibly have been done to him in that dark room. He was too sober for it, unlike everyone who'd been drinking.

  
He came to a door and shoved it open, falling into cold air that whipped his hair. He stood outside, on top of the building overlooking Wyndon. Rose tower and the ferris wheel both sat in the distance, far and untouchable. 

  
Piers slammed the door shut. Tested it to make sure he could still use it before he backed away, and screamed.

  
He dropped to his knees, letting himself feel his fear and panic and anger and hatred. It all raged through him, tearing him apart from the inside until all he could do was sob.

  
How did he end up here? Running away from a sex auction and his boss, screaming on top of a rooftop with a bloody knee. Rose knew he could use him for anything. And Piers so often believed it.

  
He didn't know how long he sat on his knees. Long enough for his phone to ring, for Rose's name to pop up and disappear, an alert for a voicemail. Then a second call. 

  
Piers thought about answering, but he knew Rose would convince him to come back down, or let Marnie suffer. He’d corner him, coerce him with twisted words and a gentle smile. Piers would walk down those stairs with the low thrum of pain in his leg just to be humiliated, and most likely while on his knees.

  
He felt so trapped. A mouse caught in a metal deathtrap, a frog in a box with no holes, a butterfly in a jar sealed tight. Impossible to breathe, suffocating.

  
He didn't know when he walked to the edge of the building, watching the ferris wheel lights. They were so beautiful, part of something happy.

So were the lights on the street, blazing and bright and wild, the television screens showing ads with happy people. What was that even like?

  
All he wanted to do was sing and provide for his sister. He couldn't even do that.

  
He slowly slid onto the wall, hands flat on the cold concrete to keep himself from toppling over, then he swung a leg over the edge so it dangled with nothing but air beneath it.

  
A fall would be tragic, but...

  
Marnie. She'd get whatever money was left. She'd be sad but so far away from Rose...

  
He turned a little more, let his other foot kiss the edge, felt his blood pump furiously as the wind whipped his hair. Each inch felt cooler than the last, leaving him numb to the thought.

  
His phone rang, probably Rose again, but something compelled him to look down. Perhaps seeing Rose’s name and knowing it would keep ringing would bring some satisfaction to this.

  
He picked it up and held it to his ear after the third ring instead.

  
"Hey!" came Raihan's voice. "So, I totally called you by accident, was gonna tell Lee this dumb story, but I think you'll get a kick out of it, too. Are you under a plane? It's loud."

  
"No," Piers said through a choked sob. He could hear Raihan shifting, his breathing change. "I uhh...I'm at...a party."

  
"Rooftop party?"

  
"Yeah..."

  
There was a pause then Piers sobbed again, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Rai--"

  
"Are you alone on the rooftop?"

  
His response took too long. Piers clutched his phone a little tighter.

  
"Yeah."

  
"And...how close are you to the edge?"

  
This hurt. This hurt so fucking much that Piers pressed a hand to his chest, trying to calm himself down. "I'm sittin'...on the edge...thing...feet sort of danglin'...Sorry."

  
Another pause, like Raihan was finding the right words to say. Maybe this would scare the man off for good. Burn this bridge too while he was at it.

A part of him wanted Raihan to be done with while wanting Raihan to never let go. 

  
"Can you do me a favor?"

  
"W-What?" Piers gasped.

  
"A favor. Please?"

  
A favor. His last favor ended him up exactly where he was. One more couldn't hurt.

  
"Sure."

  
"Put you a foot on the roof. Flat. You'll have to turn to do it. Tell me once you have."

  
"Are ya tryna get me not to jump."

  
"No," Raihan said calmly. "I just want you to put a foot on the roof."

  
So Raihan wanted to play hero, be clever about it. Piers hated him for it. He wanted to snap back at Raihan, hang up without another word. But the genuineness in Raihan’s voice…It resonated in Piers’s aching chest.

  
He slowly slid back, placing a foot flat on the concrete roof. He exhaled. "Alright."

  
"Cool, do the other one."

  
"Raihan--"

  
"Hey, you agreed to it."

  
Piers turned, placed his other foot down, looking away from the street and back to the dark ceiling.

  
"Can you stand?"

  
Stand. Take two steps. Another two. Breathe. Sit down. Raihan walked Piers away from the edge of the building, each instruction gentle but firm. Piers's knees gave out and he collapsed, felt pain shoot up his leg and out his mouth as he threw up. No doubt Raihan heard his liquid panic splattering all over the floor. Fuck, it was embarrassing.

  
Enough that Piers wanted to cry and tried to hold it back but the more he did, the more he wanted to sob.

  
“How much battery do you have on your phone?” Raihan’s voice was still so fucking calm, like he hadn’t just talked Piers down from ending it.

  
Piers pulled his phone away, looked at the numbers. “I’m at 63%. No charger, of course.”

  
“Do you need a ride? I can come get you.”

  
Why would Raihan bother offering? They weren’t even really friends and it was late, out of the way. 

The last time they'd talked Piers had yelled at him.

  
“I can’t I…” Piers swallowed. “I’ll be noticed.”

  
He heard Raihan shifting around. He sounded like he was already in bed. It was barely ten-thirty and this guy was already in bed. “I can stay on the phone with you until you’re able to go. Then I’ll come pick you up.”

  
“It’ll be late,” Piers snorted. “Like past midnight.”

  
“It’s not like I’m doing anything.” A laugh followed, all throaty and carefree. Piers thought his heart would fall out of his chest. “I’d like to chat unless you want to get back to…whatever you were doing.”

  
Jumping. Raihan didn’t want to say it and for good reason. Admitting it out loud had been hard enough. Hearing someone else repeat it back would be salt on the wound. Piers crawled over to a vent, resting his back against cold metal with his eyes on the spinning night sky.

  
“You were gonna to tell me somethin' funny?” Piers said, tears finally streaming down his cheeks. “What was it?”  
  
~~  
  
The scariest part of the evening had been escaping Rose. The second scariest was leaving the building.

  
Around midnight, Piers propped the door open, just in case it was set to an automatic lock timer. At around 1 a.m., his phone died, but not before Raihan told him where to meet up in case that happened.

  
So at 1:20 a.m., Piers ran down nearly thirty flights of stairs, that were all thankfully still lit, until he came to the end with a single door.

  
He was glad it opened without setting off an alarm and he ran out into bright lights.

  
The underground parking garage. 

  
Piers inhaled and turned to the door as it closed. He pulled the handle and when it didn’t budge he spun back around. Raihan said he would wait, and Piers was sure he still had a few minutes until their meetup.

  
He walked through the empty lot, each step echoing against concrete. The air had chilled and the dense concrete provided no relief.

  
He folded his arms around himself, walking up the incline towards the street.

  
This side of Wyndon was quiet at this hour. The lights never stopped but people left the streets empty. It felt almost unreal, as if stepping into another dimension where silence ruled over the night. He was used to bright lights at all hours. And in Spikemuth, the streets never slept.

  
“Hey!”

  
Piers turned to see a rather burly looking guy dressed in black heading towards him. Piers had seen him before, from earlier. He was one of the security guys who’d wandered the party floor—

  
“I saw you earlier, I think,” the guy said. “Someone was looking for you—”

  
Piers’s stomach sank as the gears visibly turned in the guy’s head. All he could think was run, get away, don’t let the man call Rose. He stepped towards the street as a black car rounded the corner.

  
Trapped. Like a mouse, a frog, a butterfly.

  
The car pulled up to them, slow, and came to a quick stop. The door opened.

And Raihan leaned against the top of the car. He had on a sport coat and sunglasses, even though it was pitch black out. “I’ve been looking for you. Get in.”

  
“Who are you—”

  
“Clearly,” Raihan shouted and tore off his shades, “I am his agent. Now get in the fucking car!”

  
Raihan didn’t wait for the security guard to ask more questions before getting back in. Piers, still in shock, quickly went to the car door and slipped inside before the guard could process this was the worst guise in existence.

  
The doors locked and Raihan took off down the empty road. He tossed his sunglasses into the cup holder and took a breath as he turned.

  
“Are you alright?” he said gently. “I didn’t mean to get rough with you but I didn’t think that guy would take anything—”

  
Piers choked out a crying noise, nodding as tears rolled off his cheeks. This was freedom. He’d escaped, made his getaway. He didn’t know if he was happy or still scared as he cried and he didn’t care which. Every emotion overwhelmed him. He sank into the chair, until his knees touched the glove compartment. The bruise on his knee stung at the contact but he didn’t care to adjust.

  
“Thanks,” Piers finally whispered. “Thank ya so...much...”

  
Raihan nodded, making another turn. “Where do you live? Let me drop you off.”

  
A wave of more fear rose in Piers.

  
“Unless you don’t want to be alone,” Raihan followed up. “Does he know where you live?”

  
“Yeah.”

"Do we need to pick up Marnie or did she go on that senior lake house trip?” 

Piers rubbed his arm, looking out the window. He didn’t know how Raihan knew about the lake house thing and he was too frazzled to really care. “She’s at the lake.” 

  
Raihan tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. He looked so conflicted, like his own thoughts were battling it out in his mind. Then, finally, “You can stay at my place.”

A sudden jolt ran down Piers's body. A mixture of more fear and the anxiety of being a burden.

  
“N-No, I can’t do that. Just drop me at a hotel, I can figure it out—”

  
“You can stay over. I don’t mind. And it won’t be any trouble. Alright?”

  
This couldn’t be real. He’d want something in return. Money or sex or nudes. Maybe his stash of blow. Every act of kindness came with a catch and Piers was stacking them up like a gambler in Celadon.

  
He’d regret it, eventually. He always did. But right now, he felt helpless and desperate, the same way he’d felt when he got into this shit. 

  
Home didn’t feel safe. Not as safe as a gamble on Raihan's kindness. Or maybe, he just really didn’t want to be alone and Raihan was the only person he could call safe.

  
“Alright,” Piers finally said. Finally, letting his shoulders relax and finally letting himself slump against the car seat. “Your place.”  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you all for reading/liking/commenting!! <3 Stay safe and have a nice weekend!


	8. Kiss Me, Softly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raihan wakes up with Piers in his apartment after bringing him home, while Piers wonders just what Raihan wants in exchange for his kindness.  
> Plot twist: absolutely nothing.  
> Piers can't quite seem to understand that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is soft I promise

  
Raihan laid out on his sofa, the morning sun pouring in on his face with Wyndon alive outside. He picked up his phone and saw nearly thirty texts from last night. Most came from Leon, but only because he used multiple messages to convey simple enough statements. Oh-My-God came in three, while Sonia sent walls but both expressed the same thought on his current situation:

  
_You brought Piers home??_

**_And_ ** _he stayed overnight?!??_

  
He had. And he’d have explained more but the night got away from him. After getting home, he’d argued with Piers to take the bed and Piers insisted it was rude before finally falling asleep. Just passed out, exhausted, across the bed and only partially changed. Piers had ditched the suit and slipped into pajamas though he neglected his pants, leaving long legs exposed.

  
Raihan left the lounge pants folded on the bed and tossed a blanket over him, so he wouldn’t wake up cold.

  
He still couldn’t believe the night. He’d left out some very personal details in his texts, keeping it more of “Piers went to a shitty party so I picked him up” and much less about him talking Piers off the edge of a building.

  
Whatever went on through Piers’s head, to push him to that point and knowing his sister would still come home to it, must have been terrible. Raihan couldn’t even be upset; just heartbroken.

  
After catching up on his texts, Raihan shuffled over to the kitchen. He could at least get breakfast started. Or brunch, as the clock ticked closer to 10 am. They'd both slept late but it was a Saturday with nowhere to go.

  
Raihan put on some potatoes and plugged in the electric grill to cook sausage, then got coffee started. Everything sizzled so loud he never heard Piers's footsteps.

  
Piers wandered out of his bedroom, looking more disgruntled than the night before. He’d cried off most of his makeup and his hair was knotted at his shoulders, parts of it pulled back while the rest hung freely around his bony arms.

  
They stared each other down across the flat, Piers pushing his hair out of his face. "’Mornin’."

  
"Good morning," Raihan replied. "Do you like cream in your coffee?"

  
"Please."

  
Piers sat down at the counter overlooking the kitchen, watching Raihan cook. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, his expression unreadable but movements screaming anxiety. Raihan fixed his coffee and slid over the sugar shaker that went ignored.

  
"Did you sleep alright?"

  
"Fine," Piers said, sipping his coffee. "Your bed is surprisingly comfortable."

  
"If I have to lay somewhere for eight hours, may as well make it comfy, right?"

  
Piers laughed a little but that was all the response that came out of him. He drank more coffee, eyes roaming the flat. Raihan didn't know how to approach the topic of last night. Where to even begin with it. A lot had happened, and nothing had really been discussed. He didn't feel like it was his place to bring it up until Piers felt ready--

  
"Hey! Don't do coke on my counter!" Raihan snapped. He looked up from the potatoes long enough to see Piers had pulled out a baggy and was preparing to dump some blow on the counter. Piers narrowed his eyes. "And not for breakfast when it's almost finished either."

  
"Are ya chastisin' my drug habits?"

  
"Someone needs to and it looks like that's me."

  
Piers sealed up the baggy with a snap of his wrist. "Can I take it to the common area in the hall?"

  
Great. Now he had to send his junkie...whatever Piers was to the condo complex TV room just to do a line.

  
"Be my guest."

  
Piers folded up the bag and let it fall on the counter in a neat little rectangle. Annoyed. But at least he wasn't snorting a line at 10:30 in the morning. Raihan put food on a plate and slid it over to him.

  
"Ya don't have to treat me like a child," Piers snapped.

  
"Not letting you do drugs in my place is a rule everyone has to follow. You're not that special."

  
Piers tapped his plate. "Not what I mean, but thanks for the insight." He paused, biting into a sausage. "So what do I owe ya?"

  
"For what?"

  
Piers gestured around himself, at the food, his clothes (that was just a spare Champion Agency tee Raihan had laying around, though seeing Piers in his clothes did more for him than any of the half-nude shoots the moody model has ever done), the whole place. He still left Raihan a bit confused but he quickly caught on.

  
"This isn't a bed and breakfast, I'm not charging you to stay."

  
"Kindness isn't so freely given." Piers's shoulders fell a little as he said it, eying his bag of blow on the counter. "So what do ya want?"

  
Raihan sat down his food, looking Piers over. Broken was a good word to use to describe him. The world--Piers's small world--had run him into the ground. 

Almost as much as Bede.

  
He wondered if Bede thought the same, that kindness only came as a bargaining tool to get a leg over someone.

  
"I'm not asking for anything in return. I just wanted to help a friend out."

  
"Oh, so we're friends now?"

  
"After that three hour phone call?"

  
Piers bit his lip and looked down again, eyes swelling with tears and determination to hold them back.

  
"I'm sorry," Raihan said. "That was…sort of low."

  
Piers firmly shook his head, brows knit so tight they formed crow's feet at his eyes. "No. I'm sorry. I'm puttin' ya through a lot and treatin' ya like shit. I...I apologize."

  
Hearing the actual words leave Piers's mouth felt weird. But they were genuine. Raihan leaned forward on his hands, looking down at the sink. "Want to start over or keep going?"

  
"And lose all these friendship points and carefully curated sexual tension?" Piers sniffled, wiping his eyes and smearing the rest of his mascara across his cheeks.

  
"Alright then," Raihan chuckled. At least one of them could stay lighthearted though this shitshow. He knew he'd regret either the response or the answer that would come next. "Is Rose abusing his power over you?"

  
And there it was. Piers's face went pale, eyes wide. Anger surged but so did tears. Raihan expected him to storm out, throw the food and slam the door. Then, much to Raihan's surprise, Piers raised his phone. Clicked a button and brought up voicemail, one reading from last night with Rose's name tagged next to it.

  
He held the phone out, like an offering, and Raihan took it carefully. He raised it to his ear and pressed play.

  
"Piers. Sweetheart. Where the hell are you? You haven't run off I hope. I know you wouldn't leave after I made this arrangement for you. Come back or you're not getting that money, do you understand? You wouldn't dare do something like that to Marnie, would you?"

  
Each word dripped saccharine venom, and confirmed Raihan's thoughts. He lowered the phone, sat it on the counter next to Piers and could have sworn he saw the man flinch.

  
“Go ahead and say it,” Piers said. “I’m pretty fuckin' cheap, huh? You can probably imagine the sort of audition I went through and all the promises that were made. I just…” He shook his head, rubbed the back of his neck. “I never thought it would get this fuckin' bad, ya know?”

  
“No one ever does,” Raihan sighed. “How long—”

  
“A year. I started off just singin' but the band went to shit and so I just sort of started this and…I don’t know how it got out of control. And I don't know...how to get away.”

  
“Because Rose is a manipulative piece of shit,” Raihan laughed. “I saw that all over his face the first day I met him.”

  
Piers recoiled a little at the comment, the way someone may if they were offended. Surely, he wasn’t offended. But Raihan only knew the surface of their relationship, not the deep roots that twisted below. Maybe Piers was in love with the man. Or so dependent on him even negative words felt like betrayal.

  
He took a step back. Even though they were a counter and a sink apart, Piers looked like he needed to breathe.

  
“You don’t have to reply to that,” Raihan eventually said. “I don’t want to force you to speak ill about your boss. That’s just…what I’ve noticed.”

  
They finished eating in silence. Piers rose to put away the dishes, helping at the sink with washing them. He kept his heavy eyes downcast, leaving Raihan to keep wondering. The silence finally broke as Piers rinsed the last plate.

  
“You’re right, ya know,” he said and Raihan closed the cabinet door. “Rose. He’s awful. And I signed another five years with him 'cause I didn’t know what else I could do. I must sound pathetic to you.”

  
“You sound terrified.” Raihan stepped closer, leaning against the sink with his arms folded. Piers looked small, shoulders hunched and eyes swollen from crying. Stripped down of any pride and left bare, exposed to Raihan’s eyes.

  
Piers swallowed hard, Adam’s apple straining against his collar. “Is this where ya kiss me? 'Cause I’m frail and vulnerable?”

  
He’d thought about it. Piers had a certain look to him that stirred something primal in Raihan’s stomach. His heavy eyes and lost expression made Raihan want to pull him back, protect him, have him for himself and keep him from the horrors of the rest of the world. Play hero to Piers's damsel.

  
“I wouldn’t take advantage like that,” Raihan finally said, pushing away from the counter. “I’m not Rose.”  
  
~~  
  
Piers stepped outside on the little terrace, letting the wind sweep his hair. The fresh air filling his lungs left him weightless as he stared at his phone.

  
He couldn’t understand Raihan’s no-strings-attached kindness. He worked for a business. Surely he didn’t just do things for free. Had it been so long since Piers experienced that sort of unconditional kindness that he just forgot? He still wore Raihan’s t-shirt and now a pair of too-big pants. All Raihan’s clothes, that held him in a cotton embrace.

  
A bright orange cotton embrace that he really didn’t care for but he liked the way they smelled.

  
Raihan’s scent was strong on the clothes. A mixture of cologne, detergent and a natural musk that would throw a eunuch into heat. Piers would be lying if said he hadn’t thought about Raihan in a much more intimate way than just the guy who rescued him. He was attractive and Piers wasn’t blind.

  
Being with anyone, in any sort of relationship, terrified him. No doubt Rose would find out, pay Raihan off and Piers would never see him again. Raihan didn’t seem like the type but no one ever did until a blank check fell into their lap with a millionaire waiting to sign.

  
That and they had a (semi)professional relationship, not that last night's torment was an indicator. They'd at least gone from solely photographer-model to something that could resemble friends.

  
Piers pressed Rose’s name, held the phone up to his ear and waited. Each ring buried itself into his skin, making his stomach drop a little lower after every pause. He waited and waited, considered hanging up and trying again. Then considered hanging up and not trying again ever.

  
“This is Rose.”

  
On the last ring, just as he was ready to give up, the man answered. Piers was petrified at just the sound of his voice.

  
“Are you going to remain silent the whole time Piers? Or are you going to say something?”

  
He said it in his usual even tone, impossible to tell if he was happy or pissed.

  
“Good mornin'.”

  
“Good morning,” Rose reiterated. “Good morning. How good is your morning?”

  
“It’s…fine, I—”

  
“Fantastic. I received quite a few angry calls this morning. And a few angry words last night, as I’m sure you’ve expected.”

  
Piers sank into the chair. His coffee waited piping hot on the table. A fresh cup, made with cream, by Raihan, as he'd asked. Piers held his face in his hand.  
“I’m sorry. I freaked out. I didn’t realize you’d taken me to some…sex exposition—”

  
“I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d run off, dear,” Rose said. “And I suppose it was my fault for not warning you because you still ran. I guess I was foolish to think you’d be good for your word.”

  
“I-I am!” Piers said. “I’ll still do whatever just not…I have limits and lettin' a stranger fuck me in front of people ain't somethin' I can do.”

  
Rose sighed. “Piers, Piers, Piers. I don’t know what to do with you.”

  
Fuck, it was so condescending. Like he was being unreasonable and unruly for having boundaries. Piers inhaled. He wanted a smoke. Or to get so high he forgot this conversation ever happened.

  
“Don’t worry about the test money. I’ll figure it out.”

Rose still hadn't sent the money. Maybe asking him in the middle of a PR dumpster fire had been the best choice he'd made. 

  
“Oh, will you?” Rose said, his voice elevated in amusement. “Tell me how you’re going to come up with the money.”

  
“I don't have to explain it. But I will."

  
Rose laughed and it cut through Piers, making him shrink in the chair as if Rose stood in front of him. The man knew he didn’t have a foreseeable plan. That killed any hope Piers held on for himself.

  
"You have been quite bold. I can't say I'm not impressed but I know it won't last very long. Unfortunately, you're predictable. You're acting out, thinking you can make this on your own--"

  
"--I can--"

  
"--but I give you a week before you're crawling back to me on your hands and knees. If not for my money than a fix because no one else is going to tolerate your habits."

  
Piers swallowed. Raihan had already scolded him for trying to get high this morning. But...Rose couldn't be right about everything.

  
"And you'll suck me off with a smile on your face because you can't resist--"

  
"What if I say no and break off my contract with ya? Then what?" He shouted it so loud the people below probably heard. Rose started to laugh again.

  
"Ah yes this. Your grand escape," Rose sighed. "You really must be frustrated. I'll tell you what. Come over, now, on your knees like a good boy and I may give you what you--"

  
"I am serious," Piers breathed. He trembled but without Rose bearing down on him, touching him, shaking bottles of coke at his face, he could focus. Much more than usual. Rose couldn't see him tapping his leg in a panic.

  
"Are you now?" Came Rose's response, all sweet and gentle. "Well, go ahead. Break it. Navigate the legalities with whatever lawyer you can find on your budget and I will gladly meet you in court."

  
Piers swallowed down the cry that wanted to escape.

  
"Is that a no, then?" Rose pressed. "I take that silence as an answer. I'm glad you've come to your senses. Now listen, I'm still dealing with a bit of a PR issue--"

  
"Because ya ruined Bede?"

  
Silence fell between them. Deadly. Piers heard Rose inhale and slowly exhale.

  
"Sweetheart, be glad you're so pretty," Rose said. "If you ever speak to me like that again, you won't work again. And you definitely won't get on stage to sing again.”

  
Nothing else needed to be said. Piers hadn’t expected Rose to pull such a threatening card over him. He was constantly brushing off comments, dismissing Piers’s every attempt at leaving. Cornering him and making a cruel game out of their chase.

  
Whatever happened with Bede hadn’t been their sort of game.

  
“I’ll be here waiting for you,” Rose said. “Whenever you’re ready to grovel.”

  
The phone went dead on the opposite end, a click and empty silence. Piers lowered his phone. Fighting against a monster like Rose was impossible.

  
And he’d signed for another five years of the man.  
  
~~  
  
“Are you alright?”

  
Piers closed the glass door, looking back at Raihan. He’d changed into running pants and a dryfit shirt, even sneakers. He was all lean muscle under the fitted clothes.

  
“Runnin' a marathon today?” Piers said and fell onto the sofa.

  
Raihan laughed. “Athleisure is fashionable, okay?”

  
Fashion or not, Raihan pulled off the look well. He looked down at his phone, just so he wouldn’t have to look over at the man. Raihan should have been a model, instead of hiding behind the camera and taking pictures.

  
“You didn’t answer my question,” Raihan said and leaned against the back of the sofa. Piers looked up at him, considered lying.

  
“Just…my boss,” Piers said, as if Raihan didn’t already know just who his boss was. “He’s still pissed I ran off. Told me to come around and apologize whenever I’m ready.”

  
So it wasn’t the exact truth. And he left out some very sharp details that were better left in the dark. Giving Raihan too much information, drawing him deeper into the cesspool that is Rose, would be detrimental to them both.

  
“Do you want to go somewhere today? Just to not think about it for a while? Or think about it more?”

  
Piers wrinkled his nose. “I don't need a babysitter.”

  
“Wasn’t planning on it,” Raihan said. “Just offering some company in case you want to wander downtown, window shop and inevitably go ride the ferris wheel.”

  
The ferris wheel. Piers didn’t want to look hopeful at the mention of it but Raihan caught the sudden gleam in his eyes.

  
“I have a spare change of clothes that will fit you,” he said. “Well, they’re Sonia’s and the pants will be a little short I think, but they should work.”

  
It was probably a bad idea. All of it. But escaping when he had the chance was inviting.

  
“Alright. Sure.”

  
Piers changed into colorful leggings that stopped at his calves. He pulled on a tank top and then slipped into an extra pair of flip-flops that almost matched. No one would ever expect him to be a model for any company with his mismatched fashion but it was comfortable.

  
He piled his hair into a bun on his head, ignoring the way it had tangled overnight from his lack of care. Raihan still stopped what he was doing to stare but it didn't quite feel like he looked on in utter disgust of clashing fashion and dirty hair. 

  
Raihan just observed him.

  
"Ready?" Piers asked. He tucked loose fringe behind his ear but it did very little to stay put. "What?"

  
"The neon pink suits you."

  
Piers looked down at the tank top. It was definitely better than the bright orange from earlier.  
  
~~  
  
Wyndon during the day always seemed repulsive. TVs still on, too many people walking around with too much excitement. It felt more like a tourist post and less of a media hotspot. Raihan fit right in with the hype, even in his athleisure wear. He was attractive, fashionable, meant to be seen and socialize.

  
Piers couldn’t stop looking at him.

  
“So is Sonia your girlfriend?”

  
Raihan snorted. “Far from it. We’ve been friends since we were seven. She keeps a spare set of clothes at my place, but so does Lee. Uh, the other guy you met.”

  
“The one I threw a hairspray can at. I remember him. He seemed nice. I’m just terrible to new people.”

  
“Most people?”

  
Piers shrugged. Raihan made a good point.

  
“Lee has his own business, like Rose. It’s a lot smaller but he’s doing well,” Raihan said. He stopped in front of a window, staring down a gaudy pair of gold sunglasses. “Ugh, I don’t need anymore but those are everything.”

  
“Leon is an agent too?” Piers said.

  
“That’s right,” Raihan replied. “I do a lot of work for him. We try to boost each other up as much as possible.”

  
Piers looked at the sunglasses in the window again. Still ugly. “Maybe I’ll look into his company. In five years, of course, once my contract is up.” If he wasn’t already dead; a grim anecdote he kept to himself

  
“I’ll put in a really good word for you,” Raihan said. “C’mon.”

  
Window shopping was surprisingly fun, especially when Raihan insisted they get fruit smoothies at some stand he loved. For lunch, fast street food as they made their way to the ferris wheel.

  
“How did you end up…where you were last night?”

  
Piers picked through his chili cheese fries. After eating the luxe food from last night, the fries tasted heavenly. Comfort food in the nice weather. “I needed money. Marnie…she needs to retake a test. That’s gonna cost me and I hadn’t budgeted for that sort of expense. I needed somethin' quick and I didn’t realize…There was just a lot I didn’t realize.”

  
Raihan nodded along, listening to everything with a knit brow. “I’ll keep an eye out for extra jobs. If anything you can come be my assistant for a few shoots. Isn’t the best pay but it’ll help.”

  
“You’d really do that?”

  
“As long as it keeps Lee from ever being my assistant again, I’ll do whatever it takes.”

  
There was that kindness again, rearing its head. Piers rubbed his arm. Raihan didn't have to reach out and offer him shit. Who the fuck was this guy? Or maybe, why the fuck did Piers constantly feel so guarded?

  
And why, with all his suspicions and reasons not to trust anyone except Marnie, did he want to let his walls down around Raihan?

  
"She's obsessed with that fuckin' camera by the way," Piers said. "Carries it with her everywhere. As if hearin' the clickin' wasn't enough at work, now it's home."

  
Raihan grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm still really sorry about all that...But I'm glad she got it to work?"

  
If he wanted to bitch Raihan out one last time about the camera this was definitely it. Piers also didn't want to ruin their day. It was the first normal thing he'd done in nearly a year.

  
"Don't worry about it. I like seein' her happy," Piers finally said. "Even if I have to listen to that damn noise."

  
The weight of being upset, and losing it with Raihan, lifted. He could breathe a little easier about that, at least. Raihan nudged his shoulder and nodded his head. "C'mon, let's go."

  
The ferris wheel loomed over them as they approached. During the day it was much less majestic than its nightly alter ego. But still enchanting. Still, a piece of something Piers wanted, that felt so simple.

  
And unfortunately, not open.

  
“Ah, this sucks,” Raihan groaned. “Shut down for maintenance.”

  
Even with Raihan guiding him, the fairytale ride on the ferris wheel sat right out of his reach.

  
“We’ll have to come back another day,” Raihan concluded. “Maybe at night, when it’s all lit up?”

  
Piers wrinkled his nose. “You’d do this again with me?”

  
“No reason why I wouldn’t.”

  
“Because…I’m awful?”

  
“Not as much as you think. Stop being so hard on yourself,” Raihan said, nudging Piers’s shoulder again. “You’re only half awful. Most of the time. But it's fun, it's--"

  
Piers raised a brow as Raihan held his tongue. "It's what?"

  
A dark flush flooded Raihan's cheeks and he kept his teal eyes on the wheel. He was thinking of a replacement word, Piers knew the look. The frantic scrambling to hide the truth.

  
"It's refreshing. You just let people have it until they hang around long enough to realize you're sort of a softie."

  
Piers snorted and it turned into a feral cackle. No one had ever called him a softie, or anything remotely close. He had a list of other names with exact opposite meanings. But at least someone saw him beyond his razor edges and grunge.

  
"Softie." Piers mused with a grin. “I guess I can live with that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look!! They're making some ~progress~  
> Thanks for reading as always!! <3 See you thursday!


	9. Kiss Me, Sleepily

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raihan has an important realization: yes, he's very attracted to Piers.
> 
> Piers has an important conversation with Marnie.
> 
> Leon and Sonia have an important question: When are Raihan and Piers going to stop goofing around and kiss already??

“Wait so let me get this straight.” Sonia’s voice came from the phone propped up on the counter as Raihan poured popcorn into a bowl. “He stayed last night, you two spent the day together, and now he’s staying a second night? Alone?”

Her words were rightfully accusatory. Raihan poured melted butter over the popcorn and followed up with brown sugar and salt. “That’s it.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

Leon pushed his way onto the screen. “That’s. It?”

The water from the bathroom came to a stop. Sure Piers was staying a second night. Raihan felt bad sending him home to an empty flat. Besides, Piers was sort of fun to be around.

That didn’t stop the harsh questions.

“Look, when you say it like that, it sounds super sus, but we’re not doing anything. Going to watch a few movies, go to sleep and then he’s going home in the morning. And can you hurry it up? I don’t want him to listen to the two of you spouting conspiracy theories about us.”

Sonia shoved her face back on screen. “It’s not a conspiracy theory if it’s true.”

“Alright, alright,” Leon sighed. “But seriously. Did you kiss him?”

Sonia started to chew her nail. Raihan hated that he felt himself blush at the thought.

“There has been no kissing,” he snapped. “And there won’t be. Or anything else, so don’t bother asking.”

There was a pause. Sonia and Leon exchanged a look. Raihan sort of felt bad for raising his voice at them. He knew they were only joking around.

“Look, I’m sorry—”

“That doesn’t count,” Leon said.

Sonia made a face. “We have another night.”

“It doesn’t count, Sonia! Pay up!”

Raihan blinked. “Are…are you two placing bets on me love life?”

“Of course not!” Sonia laughed. “We just…have a friendly wager…on your relationship with Piers.”

Raihan frowned as they each gave him shit-eating grins. “Thanks you two. Are we done? I think we’re done.”

“Wait, wai—”

He hung up laughing, just so they’d know he wasn’t really mad. Just a bit rubbed the wrong way. 

“Were they makin’ fun of you ‘cause I’m stayin’ again?”

Raihan looked up as Piers walked into the room, towel drying his hair. He wore a borrowed pair of pants, tied as tight as they could go at his bony hips. 

He was suddenly really glad he’d hung up when he did because he wouldn’t have been able to handle their teasing.

Piers walked around the counter, handed him the wet towel and scooped up the bowl of popcorn. The towel smelled of shampoo and soap and a bit of cigarette smoke. A bad combination that was distinctively Piers and one that made Raihan fully aware he wanted to inhale a towel.

Raihan put the towel with the rest of the laundry and when he came back, Piers had grabbed sodas from the fridge. He sat on the sofa, knees to his chest, flipping through Netflix.

“Do you like The Great Kalos Baking Show?”

“I watch it occasionally,” Raihan said, sitting on the opposite end of the sofa. Piers didn’t ask much more, hitting play and snacking on a handful of popcorn.

It was hard not to be aware of Piers’s striking looks. Showered and far away from the distresses of the other night, Piers was less of a closed in model and more human. 

But human gave the impression of something gentle, warm blooded and touchable.

They’d spent the day wandering Wyndon as if they were friends without worry. At times, it felt that way. And at times—

Piers adjusted the bowl of popcorn, setting it closer to Raihan, but sliding closer with it. He offered a smile, returned back to the television.

And at times he wondered, if it weren’t for Rose and the way they met, if things would be different. If he could brush hands with Piers and have him not draw away but come closer. If he could pull Piers into a kiss that wouldn’t be rejected.

He doubted he would get rejected now.

Midway through the episode, Piers pulled the blanket thrown over the back of the sofa over his shoulders. And a moment later, he curled into Raihan’s side, putting cold feet under his legs.

So Raihan did what felt natural, throwing an arm over Piers’s shoulders. His heart raced a little too fast for the moment. Was he making a move? Was doing that even appropriate?

The question bounced back and forth so quickly he forgot he was even pretending to watch something. Although, the thought of maybe making out with Piers really seemed more interesting than watching burned puddings come out of the oven.

Piers made a noise. A sudden little moan that, unfortunately, went to Raihan’s cock.

That soft moan was followed, unfortunately, by a snore.

The shot of arousal that had flooded Raihan’s cock for a total of five seconds disappeared as a steady string of snores escaped Piers’s mouth. With his head tilted back against Raihan’s shoulder, his mouth hung open, drool pooling at the corner. Raihan tried not to laugh.

He liked this glimpse of normal more than the fashion shoots. And he liked the way Piers felt tucked into his side, asleep and drooling and comfortable. 

“Alright then,” Raihan sighed and picked up the remote, to turn the television off.

He was met with a sharp grunt of protest.

“Leave ‘em on, yeah,” Piers grumbled, snuggling closer. “’m watchin’ that.”

He lowered the remote and Piers grumbled approvingly before that gentle snore started back again.

Looked like a night for sleeping on the sofa. 

  
~~  
  
Piers returned to his flat after picking up groceries, still on a bit of a buzz from his weekend with Raihan. Lost somewhere between certainty and confusion because Raihan wasn’t easy to read. At times he seemed cold as stone and at other times interested, as in Piers woke up with Galar’s biggest cock rock hard against his back-interested because they’d fallen asleep (and cuddled) on the sofa. Piers didn’t even know if he really wanted to date or just feel like something other than broken, even for a minute. Let it cost him this burgeoning friendship, he didn’t care. Yet…

He sighed. Raihan wasn’t a scummy guy who’d take advantage of someone at their lowest. Even if Piers had offered, he knew Raihan would have said no. Raihan had all the ingredients to be annoying at times, but mostly he was considerate. He listened. He looked good while doing it. So yes, Piers wanted Raihan to fuck him raw but he didn’t want to manipulate the man into it either. End up leaving scars so deep they wouldn’t heal, each one a vivid reminder. Raihan deserved more than his dingy baggage.

So naturally, Piers thought about calling Rose and asking him to completely cut off ties with Raihan.

No more photoshoots or contracts, blocked numbers, all of it. The horrifying thought killed his buzz from earlier but...  
He didn't want to ruin Raihan. And Marnie would be off to college in a few months, away from his own decay. No one left to drag down. No one he could touch and slowly destroy. 

The mild panic before he opened the door to his flat gave him almost as much whiplash as the thought of never speaking to Raihan again. Rose knew where he lived but didn't have a key. That wouldn't stop him from entering if he wanted.

  
_You won_ _’t work again._

  
Not the most comforting of words.

  
He partially expected the flat to be empty, a part of him anticipated Rose waiting for him in the frumpy armchair. So when he saw Marnie sitting on the sofa, legs crossed, eating dry cereal and watching cartoons, he was thrown.

  
"You're back already?"

  
She looked up at him and waved. "Yeah, it's already two. Did you sleep in and forget what time it was again?"

  
Yes, but she didn't need to know about his mid-morning depression nap. Nor that he'd spent two (2) whole nights at Raihan's place. Piers kicked the door closed behind him and dropped the groceries on the counter. "How was it?"

  
She rolled her sleeve up over her elbow and Piers's stomach dropped because he thought she was about to show him a makeshift tattoo. A bunch of kids giving each other tattoos without proper sanitary procedures? Not in his house.

Just blistered red skin instead.

  
"I've got the nastiest sunburn."

  
"Oh, poor lobster."

  
"I mean it! It hurts," she said. "But I got some great photos. Wanna see?"

  
She held up her camera, the same one Raihan had given her. That only brought Piers's thoughts back around to him, made him upset that Raihan had given her a camera, made his heart flutter because Raihan had extended a hand and offered help, made him upset that he wanted to cut Raihan out of his life to keep him away from the rot.

  
Did this ever end?

  
"Yeah, let's see," he said and sat down on the sofa next to her. She smelled like salt water and sunblock, and every time their arms touched, her skin felt sticky. He always hated the lake and the grimy feeling it left behind.

  
She flipped through impressive photos. He expected just snapshots of her friends, but there was an artful skill to the way the natural lighting angled on surfaces, the way she caught candid expressions against water and sky. 

  
"These are...really good," Piers breathed, taking the camera from her. "How did ya learn to do all this?"

  
"Some tutorials online," she said. "Mostly just messin’ with it ‘til it did somethin’ cool. I really wanna do a shoot downtown. I think the lights from the TVs and the ferris wheel would look awesome at night!"

  
She sounded so enthused. Refreshed after being beaten down from her test. Piers chewed on his lip.

  
"Maybe. But let's see after ya retake that test--"

  
"About that..."

  
Piers raised a brow. Marnie shrank into herself, unsure for the first time in her life. "Maybe...I can...I dunno...do somethin’ else?"

  
"What are ya tryin’ to say?"

  
She took back the camera, going through the photos again, shrinking further back like the conversation frightened her. "I really like this. And everythin’ Raihan did was so cool, it got me thinkin’...Photography school ain't as hard as law school and it's creative and fun and--"

  
"Doesn't pay as well."

  
"Doesn't cost as much."

  
"Don't...uhh..." Piers pressed his palms into his eyes, leaning forward on his knees. "We can do law school. Don't be discouraged because of money. I--We'll figure it out."

  
"I know but this is excitin’--"

  
"Only because it's somethin’ new."

  
"But I like it more!" Marnie's voice cracked at a range too high. She held her camera close, fingers shaking. "Why can't I give this a try first? I'll take out my own loans, I don't care."

  
Piers inhaled, he had to. He didn't want to raise his voice out of frustration. "Listen," he said, "I won't keep ya from your hobbies but you'll need somethin’ to pay for your hobbies. Don't...Don't end up like me."

  
Marnie's gaze softened and her lips pulled into a faint smile. She reached out, patting his knee. "You're pretty great though. I can see it's rough but gettin’ to do what ya love it's...I wanna be like that."

  
Is that really how she saw him? Doing what he loved? Surely Marnie wasn't naive. She could see he was pulled thin. Or maybe she ignored it, only saw him as stressed but in love with what he did because he continued to pursue it.

  
She didn't know the uglier parts.

  
"Marnie it's...not worth it."

  
"Then why do ya do it--"

  
"Because I don't have a choice to start over. Not...right now." Five years. He'd have to go five more years and then try to make the shift between model to singer. It wouldn't even be worth it at that point. If he survived Rose to make it there. "Please don't do anythin’ you'll regret."

  
Her shoulders slumped forward, disheartened and defeated. He'd done that to her, rained on whatever hopes she had. For the best? He felt guilty thinking so. He just couldn't stand to see her throw her life away like he had, pursuing a dream with no endpoint. Seeing it slip between her fingers, like trying to cup water.

  
Why had Rose reduced him to this? To destroying everything around him and taking away everyone's hope? 

  
"Marnie, I'm sorry. I don't want ya to struggle. But...if this really makes ya happy, I won't force ya away from it, alright?"

She raised her eyes again, searching his face, probably for sincerity. "Really?"

He sighed, nodded. "Really. I’ll support ya, no matter what."

  
She smiled and threw her arms around his shoulders, squeezing him tight. "Thanks."

He couldn't disappoint her. Piers wrapped an arm around her. This was still her life and he had no right to decide for her, despite his own fears. Fuck, he didn't want her to be like him. But she looked so damn happy, he couldn't take that away.

  
She rose from the sofa as his phone rang, taking her camera and wiping her nose. Guilt started to eat at him and would have devoured him had he not focused on the ringing. 

  
He glanced at the name and answered. "Miss me already?"

  
"Yeah right," came Raihan's voice, and with it his heart splitting between cutting off all ties and wanting to keep the photographer in his life. "Hey, this is crazy, but I've got a question."

  
"Yes, it's too soon for nudes."

  
Raihan laughed. At least Piers could make someone laugh.

  
"Keep dreaming. But seriously, I've got a gig next weekend. A wedding. I usually take Lee and Sonia but something's come up and they can't make it. I have two spots for assistants open. It's a decent enough payout but we're being comped for food and rooms, since it's out of town. I know you're in a tight spot and Marnie seemed pretty interested so I wanted to extend the invite to you guys first."

  
Piers's heart nearly fell out of his chest. Ice all in his veins. "S-Seriously?"

  
"Yeah. You don't have to decide now--"

  
Piers took off running, Raihan's voice a buzz in his ear. Marnie's door stood open and she pulled clothes out of her lake bag. But when Piers barged in, she jumped.

  
"What the fuck?"

  
“First of all, language,” Piers snapped, giving her a stern look. “Second, are ya free next weekend? No other lake trips?”

  
Marnie looked confused as she dropped a shirt into the dirty pile on her bed. “I’m free.”

  
“Perfect.”

This was the exact opposite of cutting all ties.

  
  


  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy turkey day everyone!! I hope you're all having a nice holiday ad I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I promise this slow(ish) burn is absolutely heading somewhere!
> 
> Thanks for reading/liking/commenting!! Follow me on twitter @porgatine) for more rambles, updates and the occasional art <3


	10. Kiss Me, Longingly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raihan goes on a job out of town to photograph a wedding and he's bringing along two new assistants. Marnie is thrilled and Piers has his concerns. But one thing is certain: they're realizing just how smitten they are with each other.

The crisp morning air stirred Raihan’s nerves. He had packed up the car with equipment and clothes in the back with enough room to share. On his way over, he even stopped to pick up a bag of donuts and kolaches since Piers offered to make them coffee.

  
Going from arguing in a bathroom to working together was a big shift. Raihan had his reservations. And deep down he feared Piers would turn on him, throw fits at the wedding party and snort a long line of coke off the bridal cake. Trust didn’t come easy. And his was shaky at best.

  
But without Rose lingering around, Piers was different. He existed beautifully, without regrets or fears. Just a normal young man with really pretty eyes.  
Raihan pulled up to their complex and parked.

_Here_

He sent the text and only had to wait a moment before they both stepped outside.

  
Marnie ran up to the car, her suitcase behind her with her camera slung over her neck and a neon pink tumbler in her hand. Then there was Piers, groggy and weighed down with his own duffel bag. He carried two tumblers, had his hair in a messy bun on his head, a too-big sweater and sunglasses.

  
The look left Raihan weak in the knees. Piers may be moody and a bit unpredictable, but Raihan would suffer through it if they could makeout for an hour.

That thought snuck up on him and before he could chastise himself, bury the notion and carry on with his day, they were talking.  
“Good morning.”

  
“Yeah, sure,” Piers replied, shoving the coffee into his hands. Talking, right. Piers had slept in at his place, both times, so Raihan got to miss this morning version.

  
“Sorry,” Marnie said. “It’s super early. He’ll eat, take a nap and then wake up fine.”

  
“I didn’t know he came with an instruction manual.”

  
After getting the rest of their luggage packed, they hit the road, Marnie calling shotgun and Piers curling up in the back for a bit.

  
The road to Turrfield wasn’t long. With all their equipment, it was easier to drive than take the train. About a four hour drive, broken up in two sets of two with gorgeous Galarian countryside scenery along the way. Parts wild, parts rolling hills, Galar had magic in its stones and earth that could be felt away from the concrete cities. 

  
Marnie stayed wide awake, snapping pictures, while Piers snored with a half-eaten donut on his chest. She eventually pilfered it from him before it fell on the floorboard.

They made a quick stop, to stretch their legs, before hitting the road again. Marnie opted for the backseat and fell asleep soon after, as Piers curled up in the front. He stuck his hand out the window with a cigarette between his fingers, wind whipping the smoke from the car.

"I think the country air is doin’ me some good," Piers said, raising his cigarette to his lips again. He had a sly grin on his face and Raihan only rolled his eyes.

"Venue is non-smoking," he said. "Get it out of your system now."

"No drugs either?"

Raihan narrowed his eyes and Piers snorted against his cigarette. "I'm jokin’. I threw everythin’ out. Well, most of it. Used some of it then threw it out. I'm tryin’."

"Are you?"

Piers glanced over his shoulder at Marnie, still snoring in the back. "She thinks I have my shit together. Like I'm a real functional adult. It's...eye-openin’. When you're actually a failure. I can try to do this much."

Raihan hadn't expected anything noble to come out of Piers's mouth this early. But he got it, to an extent. Piers didn't want to disappoint her. Leon had gone through a similar thing with Hop. Wanted to make something of himself, be the best role model possible. Especially when Hop asked to move to Wyndon, all the way from Postwick, to finish out high school and live with Leon.

He missed the late night parties, hangovers, the occasional hookup. With Hop around, Leon behaved. And without Leon misbehaving, Raihan also behaved. No offense to Sonia, but getting drunk with her usually turned into too-deep conversations about the universe instead of accidental pole dancing with Leon.

But where he was now wasn't bad either, driving out to do a wedding shoot with Piers and his sister.

Turrfield sat nestled between green hills, built around untouched ancient stone work. They drove to a rustic hotel only a mile away from the venue. Decorations were going up but judging by the lack of cars and people, guests hadn't arrived quite yet for the evening ceremony. Raihan parked as Piers went to the back of the car to unload.

"We're going to have about three hours before we need to meet up with the wedding party for photos. We can rest for a bit but at noon I need to go over some basics with Marnie. I'm putting you in charge of getting the kids' candid photos while we work, alright?"

Marnie's eyes shot open wide like she'd been stuck with an electric rod. "W-Wait, you're puttin’ me to work?"

"Real work," Raihan said. He saw the pictures she took from the lake. While she wasn’t a pro, her skill definitely shined. Not enough for the major photos, but snapshots, he had faith. "Normally I'd hand this one over to Sonia but today, it's up to you."

Piers leaned against Marnie's suitcase. "Sure you're up to it--"

"I am so ready!" And she smiled, bigger than Raihan had ever seen.

He went ahead and checked in, receiving the card keys for their rooms. They had two adjacent to each other, one with two queen sized beds and the second with a single king. Breakfast was included and there was a little convenience store inside too.

"This ain't bad," Piers said, looking around on their way to the elevator.

The hotel entrance had open windows with a view of the valley and all the cryptic art shapes along the hills. They passed by the sitting area, that would no doubt transform into a breakfast spot, on the way to the elevators. Fresh flowers sprung from glass vases and overhead a light fixture hung with crystals reflecting the morning sun's rays.

They took the elevator to the fourth floor then several rooms down, where they even faced the courtyard. Piers mumbled more about the decor as Marnie took one of the keys from Raihan. She sprung into the room as Raihan opened the door to his king-sized bed room--

Marnie gasped. "I call this room!"

Raihan stepped into the two-bed room and quickly started to back out, bumping into Piers on the way. "Sorry. Shouldn't we switch? So you two--"

"It's fine, really," Marnie said, poking her head out of the suite. "You two can have the guys' room."

Piers groaned despite the flush of color on his cheeks that bled down to his neck and probably his chest. He trudged forward into the room and threw himself on the bed closest to the wall, leaving Raihan with the bed closest to the window.

Sharing a room with Piers couldn’t be too awful, right? They’d already spent a weekend together, what was one more?

Piers stretched out on his bed, his shirt rumpled around his waist and bearing pale flesh against his dark pants. This felt dangerous. Walking on the edge of a cliff Raihan didn’t want to pull himself away from, ready to plunge into whatever lurked below.

It was awful. Absolutely awful.

~~

Piers never had a reason to like weddings. There was a lot of holier than thou imagery he didn’t mix with. The white, the flowers, the purity. Even wearing dress pants and a simple button-up he felt out of place. He was too much of a razor edge against the butter knife ceremony—

“Lens,” Raihan said, snapping his fingers. Piers jolted and handed him some piece of equipment and received a new piece as Raihan exchanged them.

He had no idea what any of this camera business really was. It was all black, most of it shiny, one thing made a noise? Then there was the silver tin-foil thing that did not come from the kitchen and saying it did earned him fierce looks from Raihan and Marnie.

“It’s rainin’ a lot,” Piers said as Raihan did something with his camera.

“It’s good we have rooms here. I’d hate to get stuck in that.”

He watched Raihan’s movements, each too fast to keep up with, and then the man turned back to take more pictures. They’d been at this for hours. Shooting the bride getting dressed. The bridesmaids. The groom and his party. The cake. The shoes. The cake with the shoes. Can’t forget the ring! The ceremony, and now, reception.

He was trying. Or at least tolerating. Mainly because Raihan had given him a chance, saw something more in him than a pretty face only good for having a dick shoved in it. Raihan brought out something positive in him that Rose had suppressed. Confidence? A lack of self-loathing? Maybe it was just being in the presence of a decent person that made Piers want to be decent himself.

The other part had all to do with Raihan’s ass in his dress clothes. He wore all black, suspenders and no coat, and his sleeves pushed up his arms. That was unfair but asking him to roll down his sleeves because he was too sexy sounded childish. 

Piers would suffer and just enjoy the fucking view.

“Um, excuse me?”

Piers turned to look at the young woman staring up at him. She had a short neon purple dress and fried blond hair with too much makeup on her eyes. Marnie would love everything about her.

“You’re…Piers, right?”

He blinked. “Y-Yeah.”

“Holy shit!” She squealed. Several older people looked around but she didn’t seem to care. “Holy fuck—” the old people grasped their pearls—”You’re, like, one of my favorite singers! I know the band broke up and I’ve followed some of your modeling but your voice still gives me chills!”

“T-Thank you!” Piers laughed. It had been forever since someone actually saw him outside of his grim modeling. Raihan occasionally gave him a look, though not one of annoyance. More like he was blatantly listening in. “I really appreciate that. It means…everythin’.”

“You’re a huge inspiration for my band!” she said and then extended a hand. “Roxie! My cousin is the bride. We’re playing tonight and it’ll be toned down but I promise we are badass.”

An inspiration. The thought of inspiring anyone felt foreign. How did someone be inspired by him?

“I’m lookin’ forward to it,” Piers replied, shaking her hand. “I mean it. This is…it means a lot.”

Roxie read the room well. After another few minutes of talking, she acknowledged him working and went back to the party. Piers breathed, elated with meeting someone who enjoyed his music as he clutched a piece of camera equipment.

“So you were a _famous_ singer?” Raihan asked.

Piers flushed. He knew Raihan had been listening though he hadn’t expected a follow-up question. And he really hadn’t expected it to be about his singing. Yes, his passion was with his music but talking about it, candidly sharing that part of his soul, terrified him.

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I wouldn’t say big time famous but we had a small followin’. Was still shit breakin’ up. Kept all my lyrics and compositions since I wrote them, though.”

Raihan lowered his camera for the first time in probably hours to turn and stare at Piers with a disbelieving smile on his face. “You’re really talented.”

“I’m not…”

“You definitely are,” Raihan said. “Lee’s always wanted to work with musicians. If you ever start again, I’ll put in a good word for you.”

“Ya don’t even know if I’m good.”

“You just had a fan approach you at a wedding in Turrfield,” Raihan said, raising his camera. “I think that speaks for itself.”

He turned back to the party, to the toasts and pretty words and prettier lights, snapping more photos and leaving Piers breathless as rain poured outside.

~~

“Cake?”

Raihan looked up as he finished his fish, as Piers kicked out the chair to sit down next to him while holding a plate of cake. Raihan slid his plate aside so Piers would have room to sit down the plates. They looked on at the party that had no sign of dying. Raihan was on his thirty minute food break, feeling the exhaust pull at his body from his shoulders to his legs, on his knees and to his feet. He’d been everywhere, at every angle and finally getting to relax for a minute almost hurt.

“Having fun?” Raihan asked. “You look like it.”

Piers pulled his fork through his lips, cleaning it of icing. It was cute. “And what does that look like?”

“You haven’t stopped smiling.”

Across the room, the bride spoke frantically with that girl, Roxie. They looked to be in a bit of a panic and Raihan was sure it had to do with the heavy rain. One of the guests stumbled by, alcohol sloshing from his cup.

“And you don’t need alcohol to do it either,” Raihan pointedly added.

“You’re observant,” Piers quipped. Raihan only noticed Piers didn’t drink because he seemed like the type who would. He didn’t press it, nor did it matter much why Piers didn’t drink. “Marnie loves it. And that fuckin’ camera. She was thinkin’ of goin’ to school for it.”

“Really?” Raihan gasped. “That’s—”

He looked over Piers again, searching for signs on his face; should he he should be excited or sympathetic. Piers had a bit of a scowl and Raihan wondered if he had a deathwish before continuing.

“I think that’s great.”

“It certainly eliminates a need for her to retake the test,” Piers sighed, eating more cake.

“So…you don’t need the extra money?”

“Not as much as I did. Money is still money. And it’s away from Rose which is really nice.”

Piers folded his arms, resting forward on the table. Raihan mirrored his position, their shoulders touching lightly until Piers leaned in a little more. The shift was obvious, and Raihan leaned back until not just their shoulders but their arms molded against each other. Then he pressed a little more, enough to nudge Piers and it was reciprocated, until they laughed at their own playing.

This wasn’t cuddling on a sofa, half asleep and cold. This was wide awake and deliberate. Back and forth, and gentle.

The dense walls Piers had up had come down. Or at least a Raihan-shaped doorway had opened. He looked at Piers, the faint smile on his face and his heavy, tired eyes with fresh makeup. The smell of cake frosting lingered, strong enough that Raihan caught it without getting any closer.

His heart throbbed with each passing second of his break, and he was fine wasting it just gazing at Piers under gentle fairy lights.

“Is this the part where ya cup my face all gentle and kiss me?” Piers asked, knitting his brows together. This time, the question was different. No snark or nastiness, actual sincerity, a tremble to his voice.

Raihan didn’t answer. He only moved in his seat, placing a hand on the back of Piers’s chair because, yes. Piers bristled, his breathing staggered and terrified. Those sharp edges gone as he held himself in place because this was no longer flirting, but a real answer to that question.

Then Roxie ran up to the table with a frantic wave and their bubble popped.

“I’m super sorry,” she said. “Um…can I…ask a favor? I’m really sorry.”

They separated. Raihan hadn’t realized they were close enough to separate.

“Our singer got stuck in mud on the way here. He had to call a truck to get him and he’s not going to make it. We need…a vocalist. And we can do it without but it’ll sound better if we have one,” she said. “I know you’re here doing photography, on a job, so I know it’s a stretch but will you consider? All of our songs tonight are covers.”

Piers grew stiff, fingers curling into fists. “Ya want me to sing?”

“I understand if you don’t want to.”

Piers looked back at Raihan and Raihan couldn’t stop himself from smiling.

“Officially off the clock,” Raihan said. “Knock ‘em out.”

Piers inhaled slowly then got to his feet. “Alright. Let’s go over the songs really fast?”

Roxie looked ecstatic, taking his hand and guiding him towards the stage. Piers shot Raihan a look and he waved in return. As much as he wanted to sit back and hear Piers sing, he had another two hours left on his contract.

He picked up their trash and went back to getting pictures, just as the band went up on stage. Roxie gave a quick introduction, an explanation, then stood back with her bass as Piers took the mic.

Raihan expected some nervousness as they started. Throat clearing, a quiver, awkward shuffling. But as soon as Roxie strummed her bass and Piers sang the first two words, the stage belonged to no one except him.

The bride and groom went to the dance floor together, enjoying the music and blissfully unaware of the effect of Piers’s voice. Or maybe they felt it and it compelled them to move like a haunting spell. Other people stared and started to sway to the music, on Piers’s command because his voice held that power.

Raihan almost forgot to snap more pictures of the happy couple as his soul melted to Piers’s velvet voice, the back drop of sparkling fairy lights, and the patter of rain, making him absolutely enchanting.

“My bro’s pretty good, ain’t he?”

Raihan looked down at Marnie. Her eyes shared the same sort of heaviness as Piers, though with much less makeup and no hint of sultry flirting. She raised her camera, but her angle was not the couple.

“I got some pictures of him singin’,” she said. “Sometimes he forgets how good he really is. Or just doesn’t wanna acknowledge it. I like to remind him.”

“He’s incredible,” Raihan said. Incredible was a gentle enough way to say heart-stopping and breathtaking and gorgeous. 

How did he even begin to recover from this fall? Was it possible? Or would his heart simply belong to this singer now?

The song ended and an applause rose as a new song started. Piers’s voice came over the speakers again, just as smooth as the first time, only this time, his piercing blue eyes found Raihan’s gaze and held it. He smiled, and Raihan snapped another picture.

There was no recovering from a fall this hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always for reading/liking/commenting!! <3 I hope y'all have enjoyed the fic and this chapter and I look forward to seeing you Thursday with the (spicy) conclusion of this wedding trip!
> 
> Follow me @porgatine on twitter for more ramblings, screamings and the occasional picture of my cat!


	11. Kiss Me, Affectionately

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's midnight, the wedding job is over, and all that's left is the low buzz of the tv and high emotions that come crashing together.

It was almost midnight when the three of them, camera equipment in tow, shuffled through the hotel lobby and to the elevator. The party still raged but Raihan's time as cameraman ended. Back to normal, Cinderella style, though Marnie lugged around an armful of cookie party favors.

  
He was shot. They all were, really, though Piers had a bit of a glow to him. Singing in front of an audience really turned his gloom into something dazzling. And Raihan really couldn't stop staring.

  
"Are you sure you don't wanna switch rooms with Rai?" Piers asked as they reached their floor, just in time to see two bridesmaids sneak into a room together giggling.

  
"And take a chance on sharing my cookies with you?" Marnie snorted. "No."

  
She disappeared into her room then Piers turned to Raihan, a smile still on his face. "Rock paper scissors for who gets to shower first," Raihan said as the door swung open with a beep of his card key.  
  
~~  
  
Piers showered second. Which really sucked because he had more hair. He left it down with the intention to wash it but as his singing high wore off and drowsiness crept in, he gave up that thought after soaking half of it.

  
The shower still smelled like Raihan's body wash. Earthy and citrus, a gentle sort of masculine that Piers could lose himself to in the hot water. He wondered if Raihan knew how intoxicating that smell was; and just how desperately he wanted to be consumed by it.

  
Piers let water run on his face, over his heavy eyes. He could rub a quick one out but that was embarrassing with Raihan in the room though slightly less embarrassing than getting caught at 2 am. trying to quietly jack off in bed.

  
Frustrated, he got out, dried off and bundled his half wet hair into a tangled mess on his head for later. After he dressed, he grabbed his brush from his overnight bag. It may be easier to fall asleep but detangling his hair in the morning would be hell.

  
Walking out, his eyes immediately fell on Raihan, stretched out on his bed with a napkin of cookies.

  
"Marnie popped in and shared," Raihan said, holding up the one he ate on. "Come grab some."

  
Which would be easy if Raihan had been wearing a shirt. He was all muscle from his shoulders to his chest and stomach, and no doubt further into his dark sweatpants. A dragon tattoo decorated the left side of his torso, dipping down into his pants with spines gracing a sharp V-line. He'd already turned his attention back to the movie on TV. It was nice to know Piers looked as unappealing as he felt with that dismissal. The rest of his singing high quickly disappeared.

  
"Come watch this movie, it's really cheesy," Raihan said as Piers walked closer. He moved a pillow and beckoned him to sit and Piers absentmindedly obeyed.

  
"It's _The Ship of Demise_ ," Piers deadpanned. "Of course it's cheesy, it's a classic."

  
Were they flirting again? Or was Raihan just being nice, offering him a better seat and cookies before heading to bed. Cuddling didn’t really seem plausible with two full beds.

  
"Mind if I brush out my hair?" Piers whispered, picking up a cookie. Raihan shrugged.

  
"Go ahead."

  
The mundane task of letting his wet hair drop, sectioning it and brushing felt like a chore. Even if Raihan kept watching him. Maybe he'd never seen a soggy skunk before. Just as Piers had never seen a V-line on a man so pronounced and sharp it could shave diamonds, whatever.

  
"You know, your voice is incredible," Raihan said. Piers stopped brushing his hair for a second, stunned, before hastily pulling more over his shoulder like a protective shield.

  
"Thanks..."

  
"I mean it. And I meant what I said earlier about signing with Lee. Pay would probably suck for a bit but the offer stands."

  
For the first time since walking out of the shower, Piers looked away from him. He didn't have to question how true Raihan's words were because he knew the man would do anything. That he could do anything. It was frustrating how good someone could be without using it as a tool to bargain with.

  
Piers wrapped his hand around his hair and sat his brush down on the nightstand between their beds. "Thanks, really."

  
"You're welcome." Raihan patted his shoulder, a touch that sent flames spreading under Piers's skin. If a touch could set him ablaze, what could the rest of Raihan do?

  
Piers’s heart leapt into his throat at the thought of those hands on his body. He pulled away, perhaps too fast and with too much of a flush on his cheeks. The high from singing and the countryside made it all feel too real, away from the lights of Wyndon. Made him feel too much.

  
"I...I'm goin' to bed," Piers breathed. He shot up and Raihan caught him by the wrist before he could rise.

  
Not hard, just a tug, a gentle plea to wait.

  
"What?"

  
Raihan moved slowly, carefully coaxing Piers back onto the bed. "I don't want you to run from this."

"This." Piers tested the word, searching it for traps and jokes and found none.

"This," Raihan softly replied. "You know. The part where I'm supposed to kiss you."

Piers flushed, eyes so wide he thought they would roll right out of their sockets. A rush of fear surged through him, so fast he nearly fainted. He couldn’t let Raihan in this far, into the decay he created. He should run. Right out the door, sleep in the car, go anywhere.

  
But that part of him that wanted all of Raihan’s affection, that made his heart pound and soar, pushed back.

  
Raihan pulled him closer and Piers followed, until he slid into Raihan’s arms.

  
"Don't play games with me," Piers breathed. He’d wanted a hookup before but he’d let Raihan in. Raihan had heard him sing and that was more intimate than anything they could do. “I…I don’t think my heart could take it from ya.”

  
All the fear in his stomach bubbled up when Raihan cupped his face. The touch melted the rest of Piers’s resolve.

  
"I would never hurt you.”

  
It was a promise, in that gorgeously husky voice. Piers’s eyes fluttered and he let himself go.

  
Long enough to lean in, to feel Raihan's breath against his lips and shudder from his shoulders to his toes. He didn't know where he stopped and Raihan began when their lips finally touched.

  
He didn't want to seem desperate, like he'd waited for a kiss his whole life. But Piers cupped Raihan's face with trembling hands and leaned in closer, brows furrowed, and breathless. Maybe he was desperate. Maybe he had been waiting for someone to wrap their arms around him and kiss him like he was worth more than a bag of coke.

  
And fuck, Raihan's arms wrapping around him were strong.

  
They rolled against the pillows, lips still locked in a kiss that slowly deepened. Raihan held him close. Enough that Piers could feel their racing hearts beating against each other. He didn’t know how to stop himself from feeling everything. A rush of angry frustration leaving his body, to be replaced by a physical frustration between his legs; his mind spinning with confusion, still wanting to run off yet wanting to stay; accuse Raihan of anything, everything, to make the man mad while hoping Raihan would gently coax him back.

  
He’d really let Rose fuck him up, skew every aspect of a relationship and courtship and reduce it to filth and Raihan was here to put back pieces with gentle patience.

  
Raihan pulled back first, brushing a hand across Piers’s face to move back loose hair.

  
“Everything okay?” His voice was deep, ragged with want and restraint. Raihan rested a hand on Piers’s waist, pushing up his shirt enough to touch skin but not move anywhere else. 

  
Piers finally caught his breath and had it ripped away when Raihan touched his skin. Hot fingers against his shower damp skin, cooled by the hotel air. He felt every touch and stifled a sharp gasp.

  
“Can’t figure out why ya wanted to kiss me.”

  
A grin spread over Raihan’s lips and he leaned into another kiss. “You don’t get to see what I see.”

  
Each word came between his kisses, until the last one stuck. Piers fell into another long makeout session with him, hands trailing down Raihan’s chest and over firm muscle.

  
Sure, Piers saw what Raihan saw. Mirrors existed and a tall, lanky model/failed singer with tired eyes and messy hair wasn’t all that impressive. Not when Raihan had muscles and a dazzling smile, all with a pleasant personality. Even if he could be annoying, Raihan was never insufferable. 

  
Kissing turned to groping, hands finding more skin and legs intertwining. Through fabric, Piers felt Raihan’s cock hard against his leg.

  
Its size felt more like a threat and it brought a moan to Piers’s lips.

  
“I’ve got some lube in my bag,” Raihan breathed, pulling back with cheeks flushed dark.

  
“Expectin' a fuck in your king’s size bed?”

  
Raihan slipped off the bed, his dick an obstruction as he walked. “I planned on having a good time by myself.”

  
Piers laughed as Raihan pulled out a tube, came back to the bed and flopped next to him. Kissed him. Ran a featherlight thumb over his jaw. Raihan could do whatever he wanted as long as Piers could feel it.

  
He dropped his hand to the waistband of Piers’s pants, fingers lingering against sharp hipbones. “Are you sure? Photo sessions are going to be a little awkward.”

  
Keeping his hips in check became impossible. Piers rutted against Raihan’s hand like an animal in heat. He wanted dick, not reason and logic. And definitely not the stipulations of a contract.

  
“Can’t we discuss the professional problems later?”

  
They’d done enough talking.

  
Raihan kissed him as he pushed his hand under material, both pants and underwear. And Piers moaned as his fingers found his cock, giving it long strokes, slowly playing with the head until he could smear it with precum.

  
The recurring thoughts that plagued Piers’s mind faded to the back, to be dealt with later. Right now, his mind only allowed one thing through and that was getting Raihan naked.

  
“Ahh…fuck…”

  
The words escaped as Raihan slipped his hand further, pushing Piers’s legs apart to slowly prod his hole. Lube or not, Piers wanted it, raising his hips and rutting against Raihan’s dry fingers. He bit his own lip trying to position himself.

  
“That bad, huh?”

  
Piers flushed at Raihan’s words, slapped his arm. “Get on with it.”

  
They separated, long enough for Raihan to peel off the rest of Piers’s clothes. He left hot kisses on every newly exposed piece of skin, making Piers shiver. The aching slowness of it left Piers impatient but longing in anticipation. Raihan took his sweet time, sucking the insides of his thighs until he left gentle marks. And when that wasn’t enough, Raihan bit at his bony hips. Piers’s aching cock went ignored through the torture of being teased, and marked and claimed.

  
He tried, once, to touch himself. To give Raihan a show and make him lose whatever restraint he had, but Raihan gripped his hand and kept it pinned to the bed as he sucked a pink nipple red, playing with the metal loop between his teeth.

  
These bruises and marks weren’t like the others. These were gentle. Their meanings not violent or possessive.

  
Raihan reached for the lube, letting it ooze between his fingers before slipping it between Piers’s legs. “It’s cold.”

  
“I don’t care, it’s—”

  
Piers shivered at the cold intrusion but the way Raihan worked him made up for it. He twisted a finger before pushing in two more. As much as Piers appreciated the quick work, he still gasped, his hips jutting into Raihan’s hand, pushing his fingers deeper. Piers let his head fall back, then his shoulders hit the bed as Raihan jerked his fingers around. He felt their every curl and pull so deep inside he thought he’d cum until Raihan pulled them out.

  
Raihan kicked off his pants and grabbed the tube of lube again. Through his lashes, Piers could make out the rest of that dragon tattoo, looping around Raihan’s leg in elegant curves. His hand made quick work of the lube, slicking himself up, a piece of silver glinting near the tip on the underside of his cock. Piers gasped when Raihan pressed the head of his cock to his hole, the barbell piercing sending tremors up his body.

  
“Fuck that’s hot,” Piers whispered. He wanted it. Desperately. And he felt almost dirty for how wrecked he sounded. He shouldn’t enjoy this. Not with how much Rose had taken from him. But Raihan didn’t do this the same way. He didn’t leave room for shame. “P-Please, Rai—”

  
He pushed in. Just the head at first, then came the piercing that stroked Piers’s walls before the rest of his cock. Every inch too much, waiting to be buried in a tight heat and Piers, desperately wanting to swallow.

Desperate, desperate, to feel everything at once.

  
Raihan cupped his face, kissing him gently once he couldn’t push any deeper.

  
“Are you alright?” Raihan whispered against his lips. “In pain? More lube?”

  
Piers opened his bleary eyes and pulled Raihan into a kiss, rolling his hips. He felt the man shudder and kiss back harder.

  
A string of saliva connecting their lips when they separated. “I’m gonna be a lot better when ya fuck me senseless.”

  
Raihan snapped his hips forward, biting his lip with determination flaming in his eyes. “Senseless? Are you sure?” He must have gotten his desired result because Piers gasped and that determination turned into a grin.

  
Raihan thrust his hips hard, each time a reminder of the piercing on his cock fucking the insides of Piers’s wet hole. 

  
Piers latched onto his broad shoulders with his nails biting into flesh as Raihan fucked him raw. The pillows fell off the bed. Piers’s hair stuck to his forehead with sweat, the rest splayed across the bed, some caught under his shoulders, some over the edge; so much for that pitiful brushing he’d given it. 

  
Raihan’s hips were relentless, a constant pounding, pulling his cock nearly all the way out and slamming it back in. He grabbed Piers by the waist, threw a leg over his shoulder and buried himself so deep Piers couldn’t breathe.

  
“You like that?” Raihan growled. “Do you like being fucked on my cock?”

  
Finding an ounce of breath to spare was so hard but eventually Piers used what he could to mutter “yes” through his panting.

  
It was good. So fucking good. He curled his toes, so tight his muscles cramped and Raihan fucked him through the sudden pain.

  
Then Raihan angled his hips in a deliberate way and Piers gasped, eyes wide, and threw his head back against the bed. His fingers scrambled to grab at the sheets. “Fuck yes, there, please—”

  
Raihan knew what he was doing. Piers could already feel him shuddering, trying to hold back. He bit Piers’s leg and pounded into him at that angle, hitting that sweet spot over and over. Piers's eyes went to bleary he didn't know if he was crying.

  
“Come on, baby.” Raihan breathed hot against his leg between each bite, grounding himself before each thrust. He grabbed Piers’s cock with his other hand, stroking him, playing with the head. “I want you to come for me.”

  
Piers let out a ragged yelp. He didn’t mean to cum so easily, and after only one request, but his hips stuttered and cum splattered over his stomach, over Raihan’s fingers. His body clenched tight around Raihan’s cock as he was fucked through his orgasm, fucked into blinding stars and dizzying words.

  
“Fuck,” Raihan groaned, squeezing Piers’s waist; enough to bruise. He pulled out, gave his cock one stroke and moaned Piers’s name over and over as came.

  
Silky white spilled on Piers’s stomach, mixing with the mess already there. Watching Raihan come undone, muttering his name, brought an exhausted smile to Piers’s face. 

  
Raihan eventually stopped, leaning against his bruised leg. Piers glanced at the rest of his body and the love marks Raihan had left behind.

  
All those worrying thoughts slowly crept back into Piers’s mind. Wanting to run, feeling like a dirty hypocrite, knowing Rose would find out and who knows what the man would do—

  
Raihan pressed his forehead to Piers’s leg, panting against his skin, taking his time to catch his breath. He left a hand on Piers’s waist, his thumb drawing gentle circles until he finally placed a kiss where his mouth had been. “You’re gorgeous, you know that?”

"We've already fucked. No need to keep up with the compliments," Piers breathed with an airy laugh. Raihan shook his head.

"I'm not saying it to get back in your pants, you know." Raihan watched him gently. "I just want you to know."

  
It felt hypocritical to like this. The markings and cum and the rough fuck but the way Raihan moved, the way he touched him and looked at him, didn’t make it feel shameful. To think his words came with an underlying meaning when they were just words. As much as Piers’s thoughts wanted to turn this into something vile, Raihan’s presence wouldn’t allow it.

  
His heart kept racing, even after he came down from his fuck high and he felt soft in an inexplicable way. He gently closed his legs, made to roll over on his side, despite the mess of cum on his stomach. Raihan kissed his hip and smiled.

  
“Let me grab us some towels.”

  
He hopped up from the bed and Piers waited, listening to the running water in the bathroom, all the lazy post-sex sounds of cleaning up. A minute later, Raihan came back around with warm, wet towels and they went through the tedious steps of cleaning up.

  
Piers pressed his palms into his eyes. “Take my bed. Since we…I…yours is dirtied up—”

  
“Let’s sleep together.”

  
Piers looked up as Raihan threw back the blankets on the other bed. He was used to the hit-and-run but hadn’t really stayed around for post-fuck cuddling. Not since awkwardly doing it in highschool. But Raihan was neither an awkward teenager or Rose.

  
With gentle hands, he pried Piers from one bed and lowered him into the other. Piers slipped under the blankets as Raihan turned off the lights, the television, then joined him.

  
Piers found him first, pulling Raihan into the center of the bed, burying under blankets. He wrapped his arms around Raihan’s firm chest, inhaled him, brushed their legs together. Too many emotions swelled in the pit of his stomach and he was thankful for the lights being off because he felt his nose turn ruddy against him. 

  
Raihan wrapped his strong arms around him, holding him close. And Piers let himself be pulled right in, to be cared for.

  
The change was nice. Different. Enough that he still wanted to run away from it but the warmth kept him in place. 

  
“How do you feel?”

Safe. Cared for. Things that were foreign when they probably shouldn't be. He didn't know how to properly express it, not now while his head still spun and his body blissfully buzzed.

  
Piers wrinkled his nose against Raihan’s chest instead. “Like I don’t wanna discuss our feelings right now.”

  
Raihan laughed and it reverberated throughout Piers’s very core. “Alright, no feelings right now. Was it good?”

  
“I came.”

  
“Yeah, but was it good?”

  
Piers grumbled before letting out an exasperated sigh, every word coming out in a deadpan drawl. “Yes, it was great. Your pierced dick worked me like magic. Next time, come on my face. There. Are ya always this chatty after fuckin'?”

  
“Are you always this sour?”

  
“Yes,” Piers replied and buried himself back against Raihan’s chest. He laughed, however, squeezing Raihan a little. He received a pleased little hum in response and fingers threading through his hair. Sleep was imposing, his eyes fluttering and thoughts fading. All wrapped up in a heady scent that was all Raihan, warmth and affection.

  
“So,” Raihan said, bringing him right back to consciousness. “My magical pierced dick really did it for you?”

  
“I don't think I need to answer that question," Piers playfully grumbled.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone enjoyed the sex to end the week with <3 Thank you for reading, enjoying. commenting!!


	12. Kiss Me, Hopefully

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After crossing a line, Raihan and Piers have to talk about it. Eventually. But they've already crossed the line so why not play a little longer?

Piers woke to buzzing. The worst sort of too-early phone sounds after a long night. Raihan uncurled from around him, the hotel room cold seeping into the blankets as he turned off his phone alarm.

“Sorry,” Raihan yawned. “Meant to set it for check out at eight.”

Piers grumbled and curled into a ball. “What time is it?”

“Six.”

“Damn, Rai.”

After some fumbling, the phone went silent and Raihan pressed back up against Piers’s back. They were still naked and Piers could still feel his body buzz. He didn’t quite know how to pin their relationship, but sleeping naked together after fucking, with cuddling, accounted for something. At the very least, they were friends who’d seen each other naked. And made each other cum.

So definitely more than acquaintances. 

Raihan wrapped an arm around him and kissed his shoulder. It all elicited an unexpected moan from Piers.

“Affection is weird,” Piers said with a shiver. Raihan kissed him again, slower, with more lingering seduction and received the same outcome.

“Weird or are you not used to it?”

“I don’t wanna be called out on my sexual experiences this early,” Piers said. He arched his back with Raihan’s lips on his shoulders, steadily moving up to his neck. “Are you really—ahh—horny again?”

Raihan nipped his ear. “Just eager to play a bit.”

His husky voice sent a quick jolt of attention directly to Piers’s cock. “N-Nasty.”

Piers’s response came out wrecked and Raihan quickly caught on. He tilted Piers’s head back to his own, catching his parted lips in a kiss, while his other snaked between Piers’s legs. Piers melted against him, spreading his legs to deft fingers that got his cock standing to attention.

“We can go back to sleep, of course—”

“Do not. You woke me up for this—”

Raihan grinned, kissing Piers again, this time harder, deeper. Pressing his tongue between Piers’s lips to make him moan.

Yes, he wanted it. Raihan made him greedy and he was willing to beg for it.

Raihan pulled away, taking him by the hips and moving him where he wanted him. It was quick, rough in a way that felt good. Raihan didn’t waste time with playing and teasing, drawing it out until it became too much. He caught Piers’s legs threw them over his shoulders and lowered his head.

Piers gasped as Raihan swallowed his cock, his mouth like an electric heater on bare skin. He tongued the base, the rest of Piers’s cock occupying his throat, and even that wet pressure felt like fire. Piers tried to thrust his hips, and Raihan wrapped his arms around his waist, keeping him in place. Bobbing his head; slow, fast, too hard, letting Piers slide out of his throat before plunging back in.

It drove Piers to low moans he tried to stifle. It was early, sure, but there were people already moving about in the halls. But Raihan’s mouth was a sinful hole made to be fucked.

He finally pulled away, lifting Piers’s hips with a strong arm, using his free hand to spread Piers’s ass enough to bury his face.

“Oh _fuck!_ ”

Piers didn’t try to stop the moan that escaped as Raihan devoured his ass, slicking up his hole with a squirming tongue. He gripped the pillows, his legs trembling. The bruises and marks from last night were even more visible, all over his thighs with Raihan between them.

It was too much. Enough he was ready to spill over when Raihan replaced his tongue with a finger and returned his lips to the neglected wet cock in front of him.

Raihan sucked him in earnest, no throat fucking, hollowing his cheeks and flicking his tongue at the slit. He worked his finger hard, abusing Piers’s sensitive hole like he hadn’t done the same only a few hours before.

It was a lot. Overwhelming. Piers forgot about his loud moaning when they turned into gentle screams, pulling at Raihan’s hair, trying to get him to stop or go harder, he didn’t know as it blurred together. As tension coiled in his stomach, ready to spring free.

“Fuck—fuck—fuuck—ahh—”

He came clenched around Raihan’s finger and spilling into the man’s mouth, collapsing on the bed in broken panting. Raihan sucked him dry, finger fucking him until Piers gently pushed him away.

Raihan rose with a slippery pop of his lips and a loud swallow. He wore a pleased grin on his wet lips.

Pies couldn’t think in anything but flashing colors and vague sounds. He heard Raihan move off the bed, no doubt to get another towel, felt him come back on the bed. He cleaned Piers up, as moving was out of the question, then settled back next to him like they’d been cuddling all morning.

He finally lowered his arm from his face, opening an eye to look at Raihan’s smug face.

“I await my review.”

“I can’t even think.”

“So, is that a perfect score?”

Piers flushed. Slapped his arm. Raihan only laughed and kissed his cheek, totally pleased with himself like any smug bastard. 

Legs still trembling, Piers pushed himself up and out of Raihan’s embrace, shoving a brown shoulder into the mattress as he straddled Raihan’s waist. Raihan’s eyes went wide with Piers on top.

“Thinking clearer now?” Raihan’s laugh became a slow moan as Piers rocked his hips, finding the angle that turned Raihan to jelly.

“I can play your game too, babe.”

~~

They packed up the car before heading to the breakfast area. Thankfully, not everything was picked over so they had a decent selection. Most of the wedding guests were either still asleep or brutally hungover.

Raihan sat down at the table by the window with Piers and Marnie. He may not be hungover, but Raihan’s mind buzzed every time Piers glanced at him.

They’d crossed that line between professionals. More than once. Last night, this morning, in the shower before packing. And if Rose found out they could have problems but ignoring how he felt for Piers…

“Look at how great the pictures came out,” Marnie excitedly said, flipping through the pictures on the camera for Piers to see. 

“These are incredible.”

“I’m so excited! I’m gettin’ better at night exposure!”

“Ah, you got some of me singin’!”

Piers made him feel everything at once. Confusion and happiness, occasionally a gentle frustration. But it all came bundled up and presented with a punk bow in Piers, in a way that made his surroundings colorful. He wanted to hold on to it.

Hold on to it, keep it safe. It was such a fragile blossom yet he had hope it could be something other than stolen glances and secret affairs. 

After breakfast, they were back on the road, through green countryside, sheep and mountains. They kept the windows rolled down, enjoying the weather, and Piers and Marnie chatted for a good hour before they had to stop.

A part of him wondered if Piers spoke so much with her to avoid conversation with him. They hadn’t discussed anything. And a lot had happened.

But every time Piers glanced at him, there was something there. He wore his same scowl most of the time, but there was a playfulness to it that hadn’t always been there. A quirk to his lips. An affectionate way he said Raihan’s name, usually just shortened. 

It made him smile, more than once.

~~

Wyndon felt a hundred years away from the country hotel in Turffield. The big buildings and electric screens replaced the ancient stone landmarks and lazy sheep. 

Raihan helped them unload at their place. Marnie ran in first, carrying her bags as Raihan handed off the rest to Piers. They brushed hands, a bit of a meaningless gesture now that he’d eaten Piers’s ass and sucked his cock only a few hours ago. But it was still gentle, an intimate accident that made Piers smile.

“I hope the trip wasn’t too more of a bore,” Raihan said, closing the trunk of his car. “You got a peak at what all I do besides working for Lee.”

“It wasn’t a bore,” Piers said. “You make things pretty damn entertainin’.”

Piers blushed. A sweet rosiness on his cheeks because his words had deeper meaning than just photography.

“We never really discussed our feelings.”

“I still don’t wanna.” Piers pulled at the sleeves of his too-big sweater swallowing him whole. “But…I…I dunno.”

Raihan raised a brow. “About?”

“A lot. This feels like a bad idea.”

“Did it…feel like a bad idea last night? This morning?” The very last thing he wanted was to have forced Piers into something. But Piers quickly shook his head.

“That was…it’s been a long time since I last enjoyed sex like that, honestly. And last night was like a fuckin’ fairytale. I just mean…I don’t want him to find out.”

Him. Rose. It all came back to him. 

Raihan felt the swell of disappointment in his chest and he tried to swallow it down. “I understand…”

Piers pressed his palms to his face, shoulders pulled up so he hunched forward. As if broken. Raihan immediately extended his hands, and Piers stepped towards him.

“I’m sorry,” Piers whispered. “I’m sorry this is a mess and I’ve dragged you right into it.”

“It’s not,” Raihan replied, holding him close, as if he’d somehow lose him. “Well, it is a bit of a mess but I’ve handled worse. And I actually like you a bit.”

“Ha, just a bit?”

“Tiny bit.” He laughed into Piers’s messy hair piled into a loose bun on his head. He’d spent a lot of time trying to comb it out last night just for it to tangle up. But he felt Piers relax against him.

There was a hopelessness to their feelings. It began and ended with Turrfield, away from Wyndon. Far away from Wyndon.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to give up though,” Raihan whispered. “On what this could be.”

“It could be a headache.”

“Already is.”

They both laughed, all bitter while still clinging to each other. Clinging to a faint hope. To something more than what Wyndon had allowed them. Piers’s embrace was vice-like.

“I don’t wanna give up either,” he whispered. “I sorta like you too. In case you were confused about this mornin’.”

To Raihan’s surprise, Piers pulled back, cupping his face and drawing him into a kiss. A light kiss, chaste almost. Raihan kissed him back, chased him when he pulled away, to catch another kiss.

Oh this game was dangerous and unprofessional. And Raihan wanted to keep at it.

“Text me when you get home?”

“Absolutely.”

Clinging, hopeful. They’d make it work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise blow job! I forgot about the sex in this chapter until I came to editing.
> 
> Moving forward, I'm going to cut back the updates to once a week. Holiday buzz + work has me swamped at the moment and I don't want to promise consistent updates and not deliver. I'm going to go ahead and update Thursday this week but next week I'll probably stick with Mondays only <3


	13. Kiss Me, Apologetically

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raihan and Piers have to come back to reality, after Turffield.  
> And reality is incredibly terrible at times.
> 
> CW: discussion of abuse

“Move a little to the left and tilt your head down a bit. A little more. Alright, there.”

Raihan raised his camera and got the shot as Piers gazed towards the skyline. The golden setting sun cast a great light on him, contrasting the neon pink shadow on his eyes. It was a striking change to his normal black liner but it still looked good.

He wore it like a shield.

“You do have a wonderful eye for angles.”

Raihan looked up at Rose lingering behind him. Two weeks had passed since their weekend in Turrfield. And two weeks was a lot of time for Rose to work with, to weave his way right back into Piers’s life and latch on with his claws. He wondered how far Rose had gone.

Piers hadn’t brought him up much.

“It’s all experience, sir,” Raihan deadpanned.

Rose busied a finger with his hair, staring ahead. “Experience, yes.”

His words trailed, like more was meant to be added on to that thought but he decided against it. Raihan didn’t know which was worse; hearing it or knowing more words lingered. 

“Did ya get a shot or do I need to roll over next?” Piers called. Wind blew and he had to pull hair from his face, out of his mouth.

“Only if you feel like it,” Raihan replied.

“Great, so I don’t have to keep sittin’ here?”

Raihan tried not to smile at Piers’s quip. They hadn’t had much time to see each other with work, but they found time to sneak off for lunch more than once. And stretched time did little to stop their texting and phone calls at all hours. Raihan went to bed with good night texts and he sent good morning pics. They may be in a weird limbo with their relationship status, but that hadn’t changed his feelings. It also hadn’t changed Rose standing at his side, watching as close as Oleana normally would.

She stood in the back today, taking notes and working on her laptop with a coffee at her painted fingertips.

After a few more photos, Piers had to change and get down from the oddly elevated spot. His heels made the drop a little dangerous so he simply sat while Rose poked around for a chair for him to use as a step stool.

“Come on,” Raihan said, setting down his camera, walking over. He held out his hands and Piers took them carefully.

Neither one of them thought about how it must look to everyone else. To Oleana, to Sonia, to Rose. It was too intimate, in the way Raihan held him, in how Piers latched onto his neck. Raihan briefly thought about how he held him that night in Turrfield, and into the morning. 

Here, Piers was all lean muscle and smelled like hairspray and cigarettes with sandalwood lost underneath. And off limits.

“Be careful not to drop him,” Rose hummed, walking close. “He’s worth a lot more uninjured.”

Raihan pulled away first. At least he thought he did. Piers was just as fast, moving like a child who’d been caught with his hand in a cookie jar. He shoved passed Raihan, mouth twisted up, and over to Sonia who’d brought up his other outfit. 

It hurt, the way Piers’s shoulder jutted into his own. More so that they still had to put up this front. He knew messing with clients was unprofessional, there was no way around that unwritten rule. But something about the way Rose watched their every move made it more than just unprofessional.

That fear had come back in Piers’s eyes.

“You two seem to have gotten close recently.” Rose hummed lightly, like commenting on the weather. “Was is that trip you took? Ah, don’t look so surprised. Piers didn’t seem like talking but he usually does.”

So Rose knew about them going out of town. Good chance he didn’t know the extent of it, of how much Piers actually let on. Probably just that it was for Marnie. And judging by how dismissive he acted, Raihan guessed Rose only had assumptions for the blank pages.

“We’re on a talking basis instead of yelling now,” Raihan said, shoving his hands in his pockets. He kept his face in check as Rose looked at him, smiled in his same too-sweet way. “It makes working a little easier, you know?”

He laughed, Rose laughed. And he thought Rose would grow bored with the conversation and wander off.

“Did you fuck him?”

And that cool facade on Raihan’s face broke.

“E-Excuse me—”

“You heard me,” Rose said, still with a smile, voice too low to hear across the rooftop. “Did you fuck him? He’s not one to be assertive enough to get on top so I know the most he could have done is suck you off.”

Raihan rubbed the icy chill from the back of his neck. Hearing these words so casually thrown at him put him off his guard. He had a burning urge to deck Rose between the eyes for even prying.

“Our relationship is a professional one.” Raihan narrowed his eyes. “To suggest otherwise is implying I’m failing at my own job.”

He may actually be failing in that regard but it was none of Rose’s fucking business. 

Rose shoved his hands in his pockets, smiled and inhaled through flared nostrils. The man wanted to burst. “Good, good. That’s very good of you, Raihan. It would be a shame if you were to fall out of place. You’re very talented and I’d like to keep working with you as long as you remain _professional_.”

Professional. The way he said it was a threat. Raihan knew he wanted to catch him in a lie. Knew he searched for the slightest hint of deception. Keeping himself from shaking, from anger and anxiety, was nearly impossible.

“Where do I stand?” Piers asked, walking close. He’d changed pants and jackets, had his hair restyled a bit.

Professional. Remain professional. That was hard to do with the way Rose stared at Piers. Even harder with the glances he shot back to Raihan, as if waiting to see him slip up.

The only thing Raihan feared was losing his resolve and knocking Rose out.

~~

Piers wiped off the rest of the makeup on his shirt as they walked out of the studio. Rose had his car waiting already, the usual limo with the chauffeur and too much room in the back. He didn’t want to end up in a compromising situation so waiting for a taxi was already in-sight.

Besides, he wanted to talk to Raihan. Maybe not in person at the moment but just to hear the reassurance of his voice—

“You did well today, Piers,” Rose said. “I’m surprised. You’re usually in a much more foul mood.”

“Ah, thanks,” Piers replied. He hadn’t expected a compliment. If it even was a compliment. Oleana looked dazed, bored as usual with their conversation.

“I award good behavior when I see it,” Rose said. He gestured to the car. “Come on.”

Piers’s steps stuttered. He stopped walking. Now was it, to tell him no before getting any closer to that car because he’d been in there before, he knew that grin, and he knew he’d end up on his knees—

“Piers.”

“I’m gonna wait for a cab,” he said. “I…I need to…”

“Need to what?” Rose turned away from the open car, folded his arms across his chest and smiled. An impatient smile.

“I need to stop by the store by the house. I’m gonna wait.”

“Ah.”

Rose kicked at the ground, Piers caught his breath. He felt a little lightheaded, his blood rushing too fast.

“Raihan told me everything,” Rose said. “About your weekend trip.”

Piers blinked. He’d already spilled they’d gone to Turrfield earlier, even after deciding he wouldn’t mention it. Rose always got the truth out of him. The truth he wanted to hear at least. But Raihan wouldn’t…

“So did I,” Piers said. “It was fun. There was free food.”

“He fucked you.”

“He didn’t,” Piers snapped back, maybe to harsh and loud because Rose raised a brow. Even if Raihan told Rose everything, he wasn’t prepared to admit it to the man’s face on a sidewalk waiting for a taxi. “I dunno why you’d even think that—”

“Do you think I’m stupid, Piers?”

Piers flinched. His tone lost that sweetness and became deadly sharp. Rose dropped his smile and stepped forward.

“I-I don’t.”

“I can see the way he looks at you. It’s no longer like he’s undressing you with his eyes. There’s a familiarity to it. He’s already undressed you.”

“I literally sat naked on that sofa for our first shoot together!” Piers cried. “What do you want from me?”

He lied through his teeth. Raihan wouldn’t…he wouldn’t say anything—

This was how Rose worked. Slowly whittling him down. Peeling back layer after layer until the truth spilled out. It was how he found out they’d gone to Turrfield together. And if he kept pressing, he no doubt would know the rest.

How much longer was Piers supposed to stand up against him? And if he got in that car…

“Fine,” Rose said. “I’ll believe you.”

Piers blinked. Stared. Narrowed his eyes. He didn’t want to press. He knew it was just bait to get him to react.

And Rose knew it. Waited for it. Fuck, he could think so much clearer without coke up his nose.

“Be safe on your ride home,” Rose continued, and turned to the car. 

Piers let himself breathe. Let his shoulders slump. His fingers trembled and his legs wanted to give out but if he fell with Rose only a few feet away, the man would know.

Just a moment longer—

“By the way.” Rose held up a finger, turned, and that wickedly sweet smile returned. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to cut your pay—”

“What?!”

“Yes. Unfortunately, you’re not performing up to the expectations of the company—”

“You can’t be fuckin’ serious! That’s illegal—”

“—it’s stated in the contract you willingly signed on.”

“Ahh…you…” Piers grabbed at his hair, trying to remember exactly what the words in that fucking contract said and came up blank. All blank. Just legal jumble he couldn’t make sense of because that’s exactly what Rose did. Either fuck him over his desk or find somewhere else to do it.

“Yes?”

Piers tried to catch his breath. Tried not to cry despite the tears pooling in his eyes. He pressed his hands to his face, inhaled. Marnie wouldn’t want him in jail for punching Rose, but she’d understand. It was the legal fees that would follow that worried him.

He dropped his hands and Rose raised a brow. “Why do ya hate me so much?”

The words just spilled out. He had meant to call Rose a fucking cuck, one last insult to the man’s face for the evening. Instead his voice came out even. A real question. One even Rose hadn’t expected because he raised his brow and twisted his fucking hair around his finger as he thought about an answer.

“I don’t hate you, Piers,” Rose said. “I’ve been very good to you, on multiple occasions. I just hate your constant defiance.”

He turned to the car, his statement final. From inside, Piers could still see Oleana, her cold eyes watching them, listening like a hawk. 

“Do you still want to get a taxi home?” Rose asked, extending a hand. “Or would you rather us take you? Since you’ll want to save money now?”

Piers wrapped his arms around himself. Nodded. And let Rose pull him into the car and whatever nightmares would follow.

~~

Piers waited for the shower to start before picking up his phone. He couldn’t let Marnie hear. And he only needed a minute. Just a moment—

“Hey, did you make home alright?” came Raihan’s voice. “I started to get worried—”

“Did ya tell Rose about us?” Piers’s voice trembled. Not out of anger, just disgust. He hadn’t had a moment to brush his teeth and the taste of Rose’s dick lingered enough to make him want to try bleach instead. “I’m sorry, I—”

“I didn’t tell him anything,” Raihan gently said. “Except that we went together but nothing more.”

His voice was so calm. So unassuming. Piers relaxed against the side of his bed, burying his face in his hand.

“Does he know…”

“He assumes,” Piers whispered. “I didn’t tell him anythin’ either but he said ya told him and I had to make sure…sorry.”

There was a pause. A breath. Maybe he was mad but Piers had to know for sure.

“It’s alright, don’t apologize for being cautious. He’s sneaky. He told me the same about you. I didn’t think you’d share that with him either.”

“Yeah…”

Another pause, as breathing became a chore. As the truth that lurked under the surface clawed its way at him. Wanting to be seen. Wanting him to admit to it.

“I…I need to tell ya somethin’ else,” Piers whispered. “I…haven’t…told anyone else.”

“What’s up?” He heard Raihan shift, listen closer. “Are you alright?”

With a blink, a tear rolled down Piers’s cheek. He shook his head as if Raihan could see. “Rose and I…it’s not…I don’t want to…but…”

“It’s alright.”

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for—”

“He fucked me on the car ride home and he’s fucked me before. Ya like me for whatever fuck reason and ya should know that I can’t properly date ya because it wouldn’t be fair to ya if my boss is fuckin’ me like his property.”

All the words in his confession strained against his throat, coming out rasped and ragged. He’d said it and there were no take backs on something this horrific.

Exposed wounds, open and bloody and gaping. How did he expect anyone to look on at that sight with anything but absolute disgust? If he could scare Raihan off with his disgusting truth, it wouldn’t hurt as much. Get him away from the rot.

It wasn’t supposed to hurt, but stubborn tears streaked his cheeks. 

“Ah…Piers—”

“He owns me. For another five years, Raihan because I signed up for it. I did it to myself. It ain’t gonna stop. It ain’t fair to ya. I’m sorry I got ya wrapped up in this mess.”

He heard shifting again. Raihan sighed. “It’s not your fault.”

Piers inhaled, and it burned his lungs.

“Rose doing this to you. It’s not your fault he’s hurting you.”

“Rai…”

It was a truth he knew but it somehow hurt to hear. Didn’t feel right because a part of him still put the blame on himself. He should have said no, held his ground, not given in so easily. But Raihan’s words shattered that part that wanted to put the blame on himself. A part that was as much him as the rest.

He cried. Without holding back, he cried. He needed it, to have that ugly wound open and pour the aseptic on it, feel it burn and heal. 

“This is a really bad situation, Piers. I know you fear the legal fees but let me help you get out—”

“I’m not gonna let you do that,” Piers said through his tears. “I knew what this was when I signed that five year contract. I can’t…put it on ya to clean up my mess. That’s awful.”

“As awful as your boss abusing you?”

Piers didn’t want to be a burden. But maybe he was turning into a bigger burden by being so damn stubborn.

“I still like you. And the prospect of dating shouldn’t terrify you this much.”

“I…I know…I’m sorry, I—”

“Hey!” The knock at his doorframe sent Piers shooting straight to his feet, phone still to his ear. His eyes were ruddy but thankfully his dark room probably hid that. Marnie stood in the doorway, with wet hair and pajamas, pointing towards the kitchen. “I’m puttin’ on some cookies, okay?”

“Y-Yeah…”

“Tell Marnie I say hi,” Raihan said into his ear. Piers stumbled over the message to Marnie and she waved, going back to the kitchen.

He hadn’t noticed the shower turn off. How long had she been standing there? What all had she even heard? She couldn’t know about him and Rose and the brutality of the situation.

“I’m afraid she heard me,” Piers whispered to Raihan. “What if she did?”

“She cares about you,” Raihan said. “She’s not going to forgive Rose for it if she did hear.”

Maybe. But she was still just one person. Same as him, same as Raihan, only much smaller. He didn’t want her to see all the ugly when she thought he had it together. It could be for the best, but not like this.

Not overheard through tears.

“I feel hopeless, most days. But the two of ya…give me somethin’ to hold on to.”

“I’m going to find a way out for you,” Raihan said. “I know I will.”

Piers laughed. “Be careful. I just may fall in love with your fairytale optimism.”

“Good. That’s the end goal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading and enjoying and commenting <3 It genuinely fuels my week.
> 
> Moving forward from here I'm going down to Monday updates only (sorry). After the holidays, I'll go back up to twice a week! <3
> 
> Follow me on twitter @porgatine for updates, pictures of my cat and absolute nonsense <3


	14. Kiss Me, Breathlessly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piers brings Raihan food one night and Raihan realizes he's probably more in love than he initially thought.

“You didn’t have to bring me food.”

“I know,” Piers said, carrying bags. “Trust me, _I know_. But I think ya deserve a real dinner instead of just fast food.”

Raihan wanted to keep complaining, until he saw the bowls of food Piers had prepared. A homecooked meal beat a fast food burger from the greasy, 24/7 joint across the street. And seeing Piers absolutely beat eating alone any day.

Or most things.

“I also…” Piers sighed. “I think I needed to get out of the house for a bit.”

They hadn’t discussed what had happened, with Rose, beyond Piers apologizing repetitively. Raihan didn’t want it to burden Piers into an apology every time they spoke either. But seeing each other, without Piers bringing it up to apologize, was that progress. A small step, a glimmer of healing. At least, he hoped it was progress and not avoidance. There was no way to rush that sort of healing from trauma and it wasn’t Raihan’s place to set that pace for Piers.

Just be a comforting presence whenever Piers wanted to open up about it.

“How’s Marnie?” Raihan asked, his eyes on the food.

“She’s good. Home studyin’.”

“Don’t you need to get back?”

Piers pulled up a chair and settled at the corner of the desk with his own food. He’d fried chicken, threw it over rice and made vegetables that smelled incredible. He even packed drinks. Definitely not something Raihan could get from the burger joint.

“She can handle herself for a few hours.” Piers kept his food on his lap and drink on the floor by his feet, taking up as little space as possible. 

Raihan smiled. He’d come to know Marnie pretty well on their short trip and he didn’t doubt Piers’s words. 

“Good,” he said, pulling Piers, and his chair, close. “I can be a little selfish with your time then.”

Piers fussed but didn’t protest now sitting at Raihan’s side, in front of the bright computer screen.

They ate as Raihan worked, clicking at images, editing the lighting until he got the perfect shade on every photo. Eventually he set aside his plate and Piers wandered around the studio. He’d look up occasionally, catching Piers staring at photos on the walls, admiring the lights on the dark street. Gentle hums provided a soft background noise. 

Even Piers’s hums were impressive and enchanting. It was an easy work environment. 

A camera shutter went off and Raihan looked up, Piers behind one of his cameras with the lens aimed at him.

“Sorry?”

Piers was undeniably gorgeous standing with the camera in his hands, sweater too big around his shoulders, his hair in a loose mess, part of it up and the rest flowing around him. The thought of hurting someone so fucking incredible made Raihan’s stomach curl in anger. He pushed it down. Thoughts of Rose had no place here between the two of them.

“Going to photograph me like a Kalos girl?”

Piers raised an eyebrow. “Do ya have lots of Kalos girls?”

“Sorry to disappoint you but I’ve never met one.”

The shutter went off again, as Piers walked up to the table, leaning against it. Raihan pushed away his mouse and keyboard, to devote his attention to the lovely man in front of him. Piers demanded attention, even while playing.

Too soon to call him a muse? That seemed a bit heavier than a confession of love.

“I have work to do,” Raihan sighed, yet his hands betrayed his words, reaching out to pull Piers in by his narrow hips. “You cannot distract me.”

“Your hands are on me,” Piers said. Another click and shutter. “I’m not doin’ a thing.”

Temptation became too much when he pushed his thumbs up the hem of the shirt, to feel smooth skin and the dip of jutting hipbones. Piers took another picture, his breathing controlled and steady. 

Raihan bit his lip as the question burned.

“Is this alright?” he whispered. He didn’t know where Piers drew the line right now. Sure they’d been together in Turffield, before Raihan had any idea of what was happening. But Piers had shared that with him, giving him trust he didn’t want to break. 

Piers lowered the camera, hesitation wrecking his face. “Ya still like me?”

Raihan pulled him in closer, until he could press his face into Piers’s stomach, inhale the scent of smoke and soap on his clothes. “I adore you. Nothing is going to change that.”

The camera nearly fell when Piers caught Raihan by the chin, bending to kiss him. Their lips crashed, in need and passion, open mouthed and desperate. Piers slid his knee against Raihan’s leg as he lowered himself. Raihan guided Piers into his lap, taking the camera and setting it on the desk. With free hands, he let himself feel Piers’s body. Over his back and tone muscle, to his narrow waist, to his pert ass. Piers rolled his hips with Raihan’s guidance, grinding down on his hardening cock. 

The growing bulge in Piers’s pants made Raihan’s body shudder.

Piers pulled back, to flip his hair over a shoulder and out of his face. The gesture ripped the last of Raihan’s breath from his lungs as he stared. It was such a careless motion, each limb in gorgeous movement. 

Staring was only impolite to strangers, right? 

Gentle hands slid against his face, as Piers leaned in again.

“You’re smilin’, what’s wrong?” Piers asked, inches away.

Raihan held him closer, felt his cheeks flush. “You’re incredibly sexy.”

A look came into Piers’s wide eyes. Messy hair fell over his shoulder, lips swollen from kissing and a flush spread over his nose. “What the hell, Rai? Don’t be cringe.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t help it but you should be aware.”

Piers shook his head, hair swooping back in his face. He let his hands fall to Raihan’s chest.

Maybe it had been too long since they were together, alone, in a quiet space. Maybe the memories of Turrfield kept him up too many times. Or maybe it was simply having to work with Piers, without touching and only talking that drove him nearly insane. Raihan pulled him close, catching Piers’s mouth in another long kiss. Slow and wet, he took his time working Piers’s mouth open, to slide their tongues together. Slow, until Piers kissed him back harder. Licked his lips. Raihan groaned.

“Fuck, I want you.”

Piers bit Raihan’s lip as he pulled back, sliding off his lap and against the desk. “What are ya waitin’ for?”

Raihan rose and Piers gasped as if he would take him on the desk. But Raihan pulled him away from the keyboard, and his several hours of work. He hastily clicked save.

“Not on my work,” Raihan laughed, wrapping Piers’s long legs around his waist. He carefully hoisted Piers off the desk and carried him to the sofa across the room. Piers grabbed something from the bag on the edge of the desk as they walked past it and Raihan genuinely hoped he’d packed lube in that dinner bag.

He sat Piers on the sofa and knelt on the floor, between those long legs now resting on his shoulders. Piers sat in a position he liked and the little squirm of those anticipating hips made his knees weak.

“I’ve missed you too.”

Piers flicked his nose. “Get on with it.”

They made quick work of their clothes, pulling on each other desperately, peeling away layers until bare skin touched.

Raihan didn’t expect Piers to slide back onto his lap, their cocks pressed against each other. He wrapped an arm around Piers’s waist, kept him close, buried his face into a pale arm.

It felt good, to be close, to feel him and his want. To feel hot skin burning against his own.

Piers reached for the small tube of lube he’d brought over and held it out to Raihan.

They separated, long enough for Raihan to open the tube and pour a slick stream on his fingers. The cold gel made his skin prickle.

Piers leaned back on his elbows, legs propped and open, presenting Raihan with what he wanted. He trembled, as if the obscenity shocked him, but desire kept him in place. Or maybe the desire in Piers’s intense gaze. Piers looked damn irresistible.

And it was for Raihan.

He leaned forward, kissed Piers and dipped his hand between long legs. Found his hole and pressed a slick finger through tight muscle. Piers gasped into the kiss, wrapping a trembling arm over Raihan’s broad shoulders.

A second finger found its way inside and Piers broke their kiss in a slow moan. Piers pulled his legs closer, toes curling as his head fell back, exposing neck and the choker he wore. The only thing he wore. Raihan’s cock twitched at the sight, dripping precum on the rug. 

It became too much just to watch Piers writhing on the floor under him.

Raihan pulled his fingers out slowly, heard their slick slide as he reached for the lube. He poured it on his hand and gave himself a few long strokes, smearing lube over his cock. 

Gentle kisses found their way up his arm, to his shoulder, as Piers trailed them over his skin. He shuddered as he gripped his cock, Piers’s lips hot. Piers pressed him back towards the sofa, to lean against it, and with those feathery kisses along his shoulder, Raihan had little resistance.

He sat on the floor, back against the cushions, as Piers slipped a leg over his waist, arms over his shoulders. Flipped his long hair aside and Raihan’s stomach dropped because something about that careless gesture sent a rush of blood to his cock.

“Careful,” Raihan breathed, guiding Piers by the waist, steadying him. Piers positioned himself, until Raihan felt the slow give of muscle around the head of his cock.

Piers grinned. “Ya look ready to pop. Don’t think I’m the one who needs to be careful.”

The taunt came with the slow slide of heat down his dick. Raihan tried to keep it together, curling his toes and tightening his grip on Piers’s waist. It would leave a bruise, and he regretted his own strength but Piers felt _good._

“Fuck,” Raihan laughed as Piers rocked his hips. “I wasn’t prepared to be fucked.”

Piers ran a hand over Raihan’s braids, grounding his hips down hard until he elicited a gasp.

“Enjoyin’ it?”

“I’m going to come.”

That earned him a little twist, the sensation of that tight heat making his eyes roll. Left his neck limp as he let his head drop against the sofa. Piers rode him hard, lifting up, until the head barely penetrated his ass, and sliding back down, so he felt every hot inch swallow him. Over and over, slow at first, and teasing. Piers wanted him to feel every press against his cock. Raihan remained vocal, breath heavy and moaning slowly with the rise and fall of narrow hips, with lips pressed against his throat and with long fingers gently pulling at his nipples.

Until each move became suddenly shallow. Fast. Hard. Kisses along his neck turned to bites that would leave marks.

He had never been in control of this tonight. Piers lead, setting a rhythm and fucking him through it. His dark brows knit tight with determination, hands gripping Raihan’s shoulders for leverage. Or maybe to keep him pinned in place.

Raihan inhaled, biting his lip with Piers pressed against him, fucking him, touching him.

With a shudder ripping through his body, Raihan came, cock deep in Piers. He let his head fall back, Piers still sitting on him and coming to a slow stop, leaving kisses against his throat.

“Sorry…,” Raihan rasped. “You’re just…really hot.”

Piers rewarded him with another light kiss while long fingers teased a nipple. “Feelin’ good?”

He could barely think coherently enough to get out a response so he grunted and squirmed which earned him a laugh. But he shook off the slow pull of drowsiness, pressing a hand to Piers’s waist, guiding him off his flaccid dick.

With an arm still wrapped around Piers’s waist, Raihan laid him back on the carpet. Messy hair splayed around Piers’s face and shoulders, blue eyes dark with desire. Exposed and bare.

Raihan wrapped a hand around his still-hard cock and Piers gasped as he thumbed the silky head, precum smearing against his finger. His other hand didn’t stay idle for much longer; Raihan plunged three fingers into Piers’s ass, still coated with lube and cum.

Still warm.

The wet noise and Piers’s low moans filled the studio.

Piers moaned, gripped the carpet with shaking fingers as Raihan made fast work of his cock and hole. He felt the twitch of Piers’s cock in his hand before the hot spill of cum over his fingers. Piers clenched around him, hips jerking as he came.

He didn’t try to play, to overstimulate and coax Piers into another round. His heart felt too heavy to do anything but admire Piers, covered in a thin sheen of sweat, hair frizzed around the edges and makeup smeared under his eyes. Carefully lowering himself, Raihan slipped an arm under Piers, pulled him into a lazy embrace.

They inched away from the sofa, to spread out their legs, and lay tangled together in a mess of limbs and hair and the stickiness sex brought. Inhaling each other, listening to gentle breathing.

Raihan rubbed Piers’s temple and Piers drew little circles on his back.

He thought he would melt into Piers and the intimacy they shared. Not just the rough floor fucking but here, lying together and wrapped around the other. It was much more than he’d done with any other partner. More than what he’d ever wanted to do with any other partner.

An eternity passed before Raihan broke their silence. “Do you feel alright?”

Piers nodded, turned his face up and placed a kiss to his jaw. It melted into his skin. “Fine. You?”

“Pretty spectacular.” He laughed and Piers went a bit rigid. “You really know how to take my breath away.”

Piers shifted a bit, propping up his head on a hand. He traced lines along Raihan’s neck and collarbone. “You’re not just tellin’ me pretty words, right?”

“No,” Raihan replied. “Oh, no. I have a hard time taking my eyes off you. It’s embarrassing to be this…stupidly smitten.”

A little smile cracked Piers’s caution. It could have been a gentle acceptance, or a dismissal, but Piers kept playing with the planes of Raihan’s chest without running away.

“I like ya bein’ smitten with me. It’s hard to…feel properly sexy at times. When that’s sorta been stripped from me.” Piers looked away for a moment, just to tuck hair behind his ear. Raihan knew Piers referred to Rose but speaking the name in their intimate bubble would be blasphemous. Rose had no place here, not now.

“But I want to be sexy around ya. I know that makes no sense considerin’ my work but that’s like actin’, ya know? And after…after everythin’ that’s happened, I want to feel normal.” Piers swallowed a little too hard. “Have somethin’ that’s normal with someone.”

Raihan tapped Piers’s chin with a thumb, getting him to turn back, to catch those icy eyes.

“You’re achieving your goal,” Raihan said. “Maybe turn it down a bit. I don’t know if I can focus with you being sexy all the time around me.”

Piers leaned forward, their lips brushing. Teasing. A heat rose into Raihan’s cheeks. “I don’t wantcha to focus on anythin’ but me, always.”

Breathing was impossible without air in his lungs. Raihan cupped Piers’s cheek, pulling him back and into a kiss he couldn’t resist.

He may be weak to Piers exploring his sexuality, but seeing him take it back and own it, made Raihan happy. Even more that Piers opened up so freely about it. And without an apology he shouldn’t have to give.

Piers kissed him harder, hands running down his chest. The ember in Raihan’s stomach reignited into a full blown flame and he pulled Piers in close.

This progress belonged to Piers and Raihan felt honored to have it shared with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading!! As always, I super appreciate it and the comments/likes/kudos <3 
> 
> Starting this week I am posting Mondays only! So I'll see everyone next week! Have a good one! <3


	15. Kiss Me, Frantically

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raihan has plans, though things take a bit of an unexpected turn.

Raihan finished cleaning up the studio. Not that he and Piers necessarily made a mess, but he had to organize equipment and get all his light fixtures set up. He had a class to teach today.

By class it was just Marnie coming over with her camera to go over a few features and computer programs. Piers was busy with his own errands and didn’t want to linger; he’d drop her off and head out.

Granted, Raihan wanted Piers to hang around but that would easily get distracting. Considering they’d spent most of the night rolling around on the floor together, he needed to keep his thoughts focused. And out from between Piers’s legs.

He heard the door click open and didn’t bother glancing up. “Make yourself comfortable. I’m just finishing up over here.”

“Ahem.” A woman cleared her throat.

Raihan stopped moving his circle lamp and looked across the room. Oleana stood in the middle of the studio and Rose, in the doorway. He grew tense. He didn’t want Piers to come over now, not with Rose here. And with his phone across the room and no way to warn him…

“I’m sorry about that,” Raihan said. “Thought you were…uh…one of my students.”

Saying someone else left too much room to assume he meant Piers. He couldn’t give Rose an inch.

“It’s fine,” Oleana said, holding out the folder in her hands. “We intend for this visit to be quick.”

Raihan looked at her, then Rose, back to the yellow folder. He reached for it and she resisted with a vice grip.

“Please read everything carefully.” She spoke each word very slowly, as if her words were that imperative. And when he looked at her, something flashed in her eyes.

Not the icy chill of danger like usual. She looked desperate. And that made Raihan’s stomach hit the floor.

“I…I will…” Raihan said and opened the folder. His eyes immediately fell on a hastily written note, tacked on to the front of a stack of papers. Receipts, contracts, important legal documents detailing his work with Rose’s agency. But the note…

Oleana inhaled. “The following information details your termination as a photographer with Rose Studios.”

Raihan glanced at her, then at the note and the words scribbled across the top.

_Please react to my words like normal._

Raihan narrowed his eyes and caught Rose’s even stare across the room. Then Oleana’s stoic expression. This could all be a trap, planned by Rose, executed with Oleana’s attention to detail. His mind spun in colors. “Y-You’re firing me?”

“That is correct.” Oleana stiffened a little. “The agency no longer wishes to continue a professional relationship with you at this time and we will be reaching out to other photographers.”

_Rose doesn_ _’t know about this, nor the information I have slipped into this folder._

“Is there a particular reason?” Raihan asked, trying to balance reading and listening and responding properly.

“While you have provided a great service and excellent results, it is at the chairman’s discretion to terminate contract workers with those who no longer reflect the values of the company. And while we no longer wish to work with you, we have no reason to leave poor reviews and will recommend others to you, if the occasion arises.”

_I think I can trust you._

_“_ I am sorry for the sudden inconvenience.”

_I hope I can trust you._

Rose still lingered as Raihan signed his release papers from the company. They’d already paid and purchased numerous sessions and the rest would go to waste. He didn’t really care much about that so much as diving into the folder. He had to wait however, until they were both gone, and keep himself in check until then.

The next few minutes went painfully slow. Achingly slow. Until he signed the final sheet of paper and Oleana took the paperwork to show Rose. They never said a word to each other. He was just there, a lingering phantom. A constant reminder.

Until Oleana stepped away and put her copy of the signed release into her own folder.

Then Rose approached, a gentle smile on his face like always. “I’m sorry to cut ties so suddenly like this. It’s really nothing personal, though. Only business.”

Raihan tried to smile, folding up the file and tucking it under his arm, safely out of reach. “Just business. Have a good day, Mr. Rose.”

That smile never changed on Rose’s face. He waved and walked away, without another word, as if they’d had a very pleasant conversation.

As the door clicked, Raihan ran to his desk and practically collapsed into his chair. He ran trembling hands over the folder.

_I_ _’m sorry this is sudden, but I needed someone besides myself to know about him. I know Piers has experienced it and I can’t watch him ruin another—_

Another. Raihan remembered her in the hospital, visiting a young boy…

— _I have no proof of his crimes other than verbal testimonies and assumptions. And while I can_ _’t prove his abuse other than pointing to the people he has harmed, I had proof of his drug trafficking--_

Drug crimes? Fuck, Raihan just thought the guy was a creep who occasionally did a line of blow on the weekends and coaxed his models into partaking. He rubbed the back of his neck.

_You have no reason to believe or trust me. But you are the only person I have shared this with because your feelings seem genuine. I_ _’ve stayed quiet out of my own fears of being so close to this. By the time you’ve read this, we will have terminated the contract with you. You’re now free to do as you will. I just need to try. I had to try. Going up against him alone is terrifying, even at my position._

_-Oleana_

Raihan looked at the pictures. The newspaper clippings. Everything concerned Bede, a promising model who’d spiraled out control. He had the same sort of look as Piers in the last few pictures. Angry, hopeless, broken. Only Bede never had someone to extend a hand until it was too late.

Then there were the notes. The times and dates of what he assumed were meetup spots, over time, across Galar. Rose must have trusted her enough to be his secretary for setting up his drug exchange appointments.

Or he knew she’d never turn against him.

Had she watched this unfold, helpless and terrified? Knowing Rose he probably threatened her whole career if she spoke out. That explained how quiet she was, how she resorted to exclusively staring. There was so much he didn’t know, so many holes and he had so many questions and Oleana was the only one who could possibly answer—

“Hey!”

Raihan jumped as Marnie walked into the studio, her backpack slung over her shoulder. He quickly closed the folder, shoved it under some other papers on his desk. “Hey, glad you could make it!”

“Yeah, sorry I’m late,” she said. “Piers had to do his makeup before leaving the house. He’s gonna go right back home too. I told him to come up and say hi but he got all embarrassed. As if I don’t know he’s datin’ ya.”

Raihan laughed, though nervously, as he got to his feet. He had his phone in his hand. “That’s fine, yeah. Uh…make yourself at home, alright? I gotta…I gotta make a quick call.”

He ran for the terrace, before Marnie could even form a question on her lips, and had Leon’s number dialing before closing the door.

What was he thinking? Some drug bust? Calling Leon, of all people? The man had no sense of direction and was usually too airheaded to talk about anything other than the company. He should have called Sonia. 

He should have called Piers.

No. He couldn’t drop this on him without any sort of warning, it would break him apart.

Cops, he should have called Galar authorities—

“Hey! What’s up?”

Leon’s voice came cheery from the other end. A striking contrast from the stress gripping Raihan’s chest.

“I…”

“Yeah?”

Raihan swallowed, covered his mouth with a hand for a moment and breathed. Closed his eyes tight. Whatever Leon was doing, he stopped.

“What’s wrong?”

He spilled it all. Words ran together, thoughts blurred. He got as much out as possible because Marnie still waited for him inside. And the longer he spoke, the more he heard Leon grow quiet. Shocked. Good, so he wasn’t the only one obsessed with how insane the situation was.

“You’re not seriously thinking of going down there are you? All the way to Motostoke? To try and head him off?”

The latest note had a date scheduled for pickup in Motostoke. She’d written down every piece of information. It was a dangerous paper trail. Easily tracked, right back to him, her, all of them.

“I’m glad Sonia’s sensibility is rubbing off on you.”

“Hey, I didn’t say I wouldn’t _not_ come with you,” Leon snapped. “I just want to know what our plan is.”

Raihan laughed, though it was bitter. At least Lee was his usual, non-sensible self. “Our plan? Lee, are you hearing yourself? We’re not detectives. I am taking this straight to the Wyndon police.”

“A punch of newspaper clippings they’ve seen?” Leon’s voice rose. “You need photos! Hard evidence of him with red hands. _In the act._ Why else do you think she came to you, a photographer?”

Raihan inhaled through his nose, hand on his head as he paced around the terrace. “You’re joking.”

“I have never been so serious. You know it, too. Photos incriminate.”

“Alright, let’s say we get down there. Then what? Get pictures of him and…and…turn them in? I don’t think it’s that easy.”

“No, but it’s a start!”

Alright, he definitely should have called Sonia but it was too late for that. Dragging another person into this mess would only make it worse.

“Have you…you know…told Piers?”

“No.” Raihan licked his lips. “Do you think I should?”

Something went off in the background on Leon’s end. An alarm or his computer. It was annoying and Leon was not the one to go turn it off unless told when he got focused. “No. Not yet. What if you tell him and then he ends up in trouble for working with Rose and knowing? At least this way he has no idea, you know?”

No, Raihan absofuckinglutely did not know. 

“Cameras can still do that timestamp thing, right?” Leon asked. That background beeping drove Raihan mad. “So it shows how recent the photo is?”

“Fuck, Lee, what? Maybe we _should_ just tell the cops—”

“Do you think they’re going to follow him all the way to Motostoke on a photographer’s hunch! Raihan, come _on_!”

They spoke a little longer before Raihan walked back into his studio and without an ounce of confidence. Marnie sat comfortably at his desk, her dusty laptop open on her lap. Bright stickers decorated the top. He’d seen the big, pink Y-symbol before, on some of Piers’s stuff for his old band.

His heart twisted up, all into his throat. He had to remember how to speak properly.

“You alright?” she asked. “I can get Piers to come pick me up if it’s too much trouble…”

“No, you’re good!” Raihan said and put on a smile. He walked over and glanced at the yellow file on the desk. It looked exactly how he’d left it, in the same abandoned position under a stack of papers. “Let me log in to my computer so you can use the editing program.”

At the very least, she hadn’t looked. Or if she had, she had one hell of a poker face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading!! <3 Hope everyone has a safe, happy holiday!!


	16. Kiss Me, Criminally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raihan and Leon go to Motostoke, with the hopes of catching Rose.
> 
> Hope is really fickle.

  
The weekend came and Raihan sank into the nerves nibbling at his edges. Having this thrown into his lap on a Friday left him very little room to plan a proper heist for a Saturday. A heist. As if they were real investigators. But Leon was quick to jump on the opportunity. 

  
“And you’re sure Sonia has no idea?” Raihan asked as they walked along Motostoke’s canals. Leon shook his head.

  
“None. I told her we’re taking a boys’ trip and she was super cool with it,” he said. “And Hop is old enough to look after himself for a few hours. And he has a study date with that girl. Uhh…Marnie?”

  
Raihan tried not to shudder but his entire body failed to understand that memo. He’d told Piers he and Leon were going on a short business trip to Motostoke. Which was sort of true. Piers hadn’t seemed to mind much. Though he did offer to send a generous amount of nudes if Raihan got bored. And while the offer made Raihan’s skin prickle in excitement, he couldn’t shake the looming feeling of what they were actually doing.

  
It was stupid.

  
Like, textbook fucking stupid.

  
Coming down to Motostoke, in an attempt at catching a business man making huge drug deals with a Kantonian gang with nothing but a camera sounded just like the sort of B-list movie Leon would watch. Ah shit, of course that’s why he was so keen on jumping aboard this burning train. If either of them got caught, it was seriously game over for the company and their careers.

  
And hopefully nothing more.

  
They walked along the canals, until they came to the small shipping ports that brought in goods from the large port down the river. During the day, nothing seemed totally amiss. People working, some taking selfies, one guy sat on the stairs fishing. Steam rose overhead as the massive gears shifted and opened bridges for more boats to pass through. Everything worked in tandem to create a totally normal scene.

  
Except Raihan could not stop his jitters, looking over his shoulder and damn near pissing himself every time a kid made too much noise. His heart worked overtime to keep him upright.

  
“What are you two doing?” 

  
Raihan and Leon looked around as a man dressed in black approached. They’d been standing at Port R, the only dock totally devoid of movement. Even the least busy ports still had people walking around. This one seemed near deserted.

  
“We’re getting some angles for a shoot—” Raihan tried to explain, holding up his camera, but the man stomped closer.

  
“You don’t have authorization to be down here,” the man snapped. “Please leave the area or I will call security.”

  
Raihan heard Leon swallow. “S-Sorry about that!”

  
“Yeah, we’re sorry,” Raihan quickly added. “We’ll go.”

  
The man stood there, watching them scramble to leave. Raihan took in as much as he could, carefully scanning the area. Hiding places and boxes, vents, vantage points. Anything before looking over his shoulder seemed painfully obvious as they left.

  
It was a defeating, sobering experience for the both of them. At least he thought so until Leon gripped his fists tight.

  
“Super suspicious!”

  
“Lee, that guy was serious!” 

  
“Yeah, which means they are definitely hiding something,” Leon grinned, tapping his own temple as if he’d had the biggest thought. “We’ve gotta come back down here and catch them.”

  
Raihan knew he was right, as much as he dreaded it. Catching Rose making super shady drug deals would draw further attention to the company. And to Bede’s case.

  
And he’d prevent Piers from ending up in a pit.

  
But the line between success and failure was a thin blur with consequences he didn’t want to think about despite them occupying his mind nonstop. 

  
“Alright,” Raihan said, shaking the nerves from his hands. “Tonight.”

~~

_You’re so fucking hot, I’m wanna cum on your face babe_

  
Raihan had never faked being into a sexting conversation. He’d told Piers he couldn’t send any picks back because Leon was in the room with him. It wasn’t a total lie. Leon was present, and he couldn’t send any pics and he desperately wanted to cum on Piers’s face. They just weren’t in the room.

  
Motostoke felt different at night, with gears moving slowly in the moonlight. Steam still rose, silver catching on the vague shapes of fog like an old timey horror movie. Raihan caught himself breathing too loud too many times. 

  
“I think it was this way,” Leon whispered. Raihan pulled him by the collar of his shirt as his phone buzzed again.

  
“It’s not,” he groaned. Piers sent another salacious pic of himself, a hot pink dildo filling his ass, cum slipping over his legs with the prettiest flush of pink on his cheeks. His boyfriend (?) was all sex at the worst time ever. Fuck. He needed to focus. “You’re definitely not leading the way.”

  
Leon was bad at directions during the day. At night with swirling steam in an unfamiliar city? Abso-fucking-lutely not. 

  
They wore all black; jeans, hoodies, shoes. Leon wore a black beanie with his mane of hair tied back. Creeping behind crates and taking the back alleys, they made their way back down to Port R just as Piers sent his last text for the night: _have fun thinking of me in the shower <3_

  
Raihan hastily typed back: _I can’t wait_

  
He added a string of emojis, like usual, then his phone went on silent for the night, slipped into his back pocket. Hands free, so he could grab his camera hanging around his neck. But, a heart definitely meant something, right? Were they dating? He really should have clarified before going on a high-risk stakeout. With the most awkward semi hard-on ever, and thoughts all over the place, Raihan sank into the shadows and waited. 

  
And waited.

  
There was no movement. No sounds of ships. Just a boat bobbing lazily on the water, totally dark. Raihan still took out his camera, caught a picture of nothing and kept waiting. 

  
“What was that?” Raihan hissed, looking over his shoulder. 

  
“What?”

  
“That noise,” Raihan spat. Leon looked around.

  
“Probably a rat. Calm down.”

  
Maybe it was his nerves getting to him, but Raihan could have sworn he heard something pattering around behind them. It sounded bigger than a rat.  
“This is pointless,” he finally said. “We’ve already missed them.”

  
Leon looked down at his watch. “No, it’s almost eleven. These things don’t go down this early. And Oleana’s note said--”

  
“Lee. This isn’t a fucking movie!” Raihan spat. He already had his fears about Oleana too, but he’d kept them to himself. It may have cost him greatly if she set them up. “Nothing—”

  
Lights lit up the canal and they lost their voices, ducking down again. Slowly, the lights came to a rolling stop as a black car came into view. The lights cut out. And dark figures showed up on the canal, coming from the boat and every other dark corner of Port R.

  
Only flashlights lit the scene.

  
“Holy shit,” Raihan and Leon muttered in unison, though Raihan was significantly more horrified than Leon and his love of mobster movies.

  
A man dressed in black came forward, waiting patiently, as the car door swung open. That grey suit was unmistakable, even at night.

  
Rose approached the man, holding a large briefcase. Raihan got out his camera, hit zoom, and started clicking. 

  
“I wish I could hear them,” he said. 

  
“Should we get closer?” Leon whispered. “Better pictures?”

  
Raihan licked his lips, nervously. Getting closer to the action meant getting closer to being spotted. But fuck, he needed these pictures. “Yeah.”

  
They picked up and, keeping their heads down, ran as close as they could get. Rose and the man seemed incredibly familiar with each other. Laughing, chatting. The other grunts in black loaded huge bundles in the back of the car as another two grunts sat on the ground, counting the money in the briefcase. 

  
Raihan snapped furiously. Every move. Every angle. He wanted to get all of this. Plaster it on social media, go the press, the cops, whoever would take the story. This was checkmate, Rose. 

  
He hit zoom, hit capture and—

  
The flash went off like a firework.

  
Nervous fingers made him clumsy. That was no zoom button.

  
“Fuck!” he spat. 

  
All eyes turned to them. Or at least their hiding spot. The two scrambled onto their feet as bruisers came running, carrying bats and crowbars with fists the size of their heads—

  
This was bad. Like worse case scenario bad. And escape became the most important, unobtainable thing in existence.

  
They barely got an inch away before running into a huge man.

  
Leon swung, out of instinct, and the man caught his hand like a baseball. Twisted, and Leon groaned.

  
“Get out, man!” Leon said. “GO!”

  
Raihan hesitated. Leaving Leon was cowardly. But the photos…

  
That hesitation cost him as a fist came down hard on his face, knocking him to the ground. That sucker punch left him dizzy as he was hoisted over a shoulder while the other bruiser dragged Leon along. The sharp taste of copper filled his mouth and Raihan spit red on the concrete. Even with that dizzying hit, he knew he was bleeding. So much for hiding this from Piers, if he made it out, he felt his face bruising too.

  
They were dropped unceremoniously on the ground. Concrete hit Raihan’s elbows as he cupped his bleeding mouth and protected his camera.

  
He stared at glossy dress shoes, illuminated with flashlights, and heard the mocking applause from above.

  
“I didn’t know you two were visiting Motostoke,” came Rose’s sweet voice. Raihan looked up at the smile on the man’s face. The brute behind him brandished a crowbar. “You should have said you had a shoot down here. We could have had lunch together.”

  
Great, so now they were being insulted. Raihan didn’t even know where to begin with this. 

  
“Not even so much as a hello?” Rose continued. “That’s very rude.” Then he knelt, grabbing Raihan by the chin with surprisingly strong fingers. A sharp pain shot throughout Raihan’s face, that bruise throbbing and mouth still bleeding. His eyes went bleary as he stared at Rose, as if he had a choice of where he could look; Rose held him in place with his vice grip fingers. “My friends here and I don’t like rude boys, Raihan. Why don’t you say hello properly?”

  
“Back off—”

  
Leon tried to yell and the man who’d thrown him down forced his head to the concrete. Raihan flinched. Rose barely moved.

  
“Well?”

  
“Good evening.” Raihan hated how wrecked his own voice sounded. And he hated giving in to any of Rose’s whims but he knew if he didn’t play nice, he’d play with the fishes in the canal.

  
“That’s much better,” Rose said. He gave Raihan a chummy pat to the face, carefully place on his bruise, and reached forward.

  
Raihan didn’t know what he wanted, but when he felt Rose grab the camera, his body reacted. He jerked away, tried to keep the camera out of Rose’s hands. And apparently his erratic movements were enough to garner more attention. 

  
A fist came down on him. A foot. One man approached with that crowbar.

  
“There’s no need for dramatics,” Rose said, plucking the camera away. “Raihan is a friend, after all. And I treat my friends well.”

  
Raihan’s heart sank into the pit of his stomach. This was horror. A nightmare. Had Oleana known this would happen? No, surely not. She wasn’t here. Her note had been desperate. He’d seen her at the hospital—

  
“Did Oleana set you up to this?” Rose asked, examining the camera. Raihan’s heart skipped a beat. “I know she hates me and would love to see me go under. She’s tried it before, you know, but as clever as she is, she’s just not…what is it? Daring enough? Stupid enough? I think her heels would get in the way of her escape.”  
And he laughed like it was the best joke ever. Rose walked off with the camera. Tearing his eyes away from Rose was impossible for Raihan as the man approached the car. Though he never got inside. He simply placed the camera on the ground. Directly behind the wheel—

  
“N-No—”

  
_Craaaack._

  
The earsplitting shatter of the camera as the driver rolled back on it tore the last bit of hope Raihan clung to. He wanted to cry. He thought he’d vomit. That brute still had his foot on Leon’s back, his face bloody and pressed against concrete. But he’d heard it too, even if he couldn’t see it. 

  
“Ah, whoops!” Rose sighed as he picked up the camera by the straps. The remains hung together with metallic sinew, pieces falling off as Rose brought it back. “Accidents do happen, I’m sorry. I’ll wire you the money for a new one, how about that?”

  
He dropped it in front of Raihan with a broken crunch. 

  
“And to make things a little easier for you, I’ll sweeten my apology since I’m so clumsy at times,” Rose said and curled a finger around his hair. “I’ll wire you the same amount I’m paying for my new stash. Think of it as compensation for your troubles tonight. All on the condition that you stay out of my business, stay quiet and stay away from my models.”

  
My models. No, Rose meant Piers.

  
Raihan looked up and his reaction, no doubt, was what Rose had wanted the entire time. His sweet smile twisted viciously, like he’d won. This was his checkmate. Oleana may never had wanted this to happen, but she’d created an opening for Rose to make a move into a victorious spot. 

  
He remembered Piers’s words from so long ago: he’ll get rid of you.

  
He had Raihan where he wanted him. Pinned. Cornered. Desperate. Is this what he did to everyone he met? To Piers? Oleana? Bede, even?

  
“Now, now. Don’t panic. You don’t have to make a decision now,” Rose said. “Just, let’s say, by tomorrow? I still have your number, so I’ll call to chat with you then.”

  
Give up Piers? For money? There was no amount Rose could ever give him. Raihan grit his teeth, pain shooting through his face that went ignored, desperately wanting to spill his thoughts—

  
“As an added bonus, I just may throw in something for Leon, since he came all the way here,” Rose said. He gestured for the brute to stand back. Leon slowly sat up, face a mess. “A big promotional collaboration. How does that sound? Of course, Piers won’t be a part of it, but I think we can work something out. Fucking him surely isn’t as good as advancing both of your careers.”

  
Raihan looked to Leon, unsure of what to expect. Hope, shock? No, Lee had fury in his eyes, body wound tight and tense, ready to snap at any moment.

  
“I want us all to be friends—”

  
A flash of light went off. Several went off. Every brute and bruiser and grunt pulled out a weapon or raised their fists. Raihan blinked, blinded for a moment and eyes adjusting. There was someone else?

  
Who?

  
“You brought back up?” Rose sneered.

  
“No,” Raihan said, trying to see just what had happened. “It’s just us.”

  
“Catch him!”

  
“Don’t let him get away!”

  
The grunts took off running as road flares suddenly blazed. Red smoke filled the area, making it hard to catch a breath. The men started to panic. It was a lot of attention being drawn to such a quiet place. 

  
And the guy who’d brought on the attention was a fast fucking runner.

  
“Let’s go,” Raihan whispered, grabbing Leon by the arm. Leon had a murderous look on his face, like he’d rather stay and fight Rose. Which Raihan fully supported but not here. “Lee!”

  
He caught Leon’s attention with a hard jerk to his arm. They leapt to their feet in the commotion, no one paying them any attention. Rose started to say something to them, distracted, and Leon elbowed him hard in the face before they took off.

  
Rose held his nose, the other grunts busied themselves with catching the third guy. Or woman. Oleana may not know how to work a camera, but Raihan was pretty sure they made red bottoms in sneaker style.

  
It didn’t matter. The only grunts left were runts. Easy to plow over between Raihan’s height and Leon’s muscle bulk. The scrawny fighters were either plowed through or willingly leapt aside.

  
“Don’t let them get away!” Rose shouted, but to which, the mobsters didn’t know: Raihan and Leon, or the mystery lurker.

  
Raihan and Leon sprinted down an alley. Raihan carefully plucked the memory stick from the remains of his camera before tossing the metal corpse in the water. For the record, it was the only time he’d ever littered and the pieces shaking free were leaving a trail behind them. He just hoped, prayed, that the memory stick wasn’t damaged beyond repair too.

  
They ran, for what felt like hours. Through back alleys, jumping over canals, clambering over walls. The huge motor wheels turned slowly, making time drag on around them. When should they stop? When was it safe? Sweat pooled around Raihan’s shoulders, down his back, over his temples. 

  
Once they were deeper in the city, away from the water, they stopped to breathe. Wiped sweat from their eyes. Leon slumped against a wall while Raihan pressed his hands on his knees. Everything grew silent. Still. Until the only thing Raihan could hear was his own thumping heart. Steam rose in to the night sky. Then, from a distance, a new noise: the last train leaving Motostoke for the night. It was midnight then, or close to it.

  
“What now?” Leon breathed.

  
Raihan tapped his pocket, where the memory stick sat. “We check this. And hope for the best. Let’s get back to the hotel.”

  
They had hope entering the hotel. The concierge was quiet, manned by one worker who paid them no attention as she scrolled on her phone. They stopped to grab some snacks at the lobby store, checked themselves out and headed up to the room.

  
Without showering, Raihan booted up his computer. Leon laid on the bed, eating a bag of chips with shaking hands. Not even the explicit pics Piers had sent earlier could calm Raihan down. Not now. 

  
He plugged the memory stick in. Held his breath. Waited for it to read. 

  
_UNABLE TO READ EXTERNAL DEVICE_

  
“Fuck!” Raihan shouted, ripping out the stick, trying again.

  
_UNABLE TO READ EXTERNAL DEVICE_

  
His fingers shook as he shoved the memory stick into his computer, again.

  
_UNABLE TO READ EXTERNAL DEVICE_

  
And again. 

  
_UNABLE TO READ EXTERNAL DEVICE_

  
_UNABLE TO READ EXTERNAL DEVICE_

  
_UNABLE TO READ EXTERNAL DEVICE_

  
_UNABLE TO READ EXTERNAL DEVICE_

  
_UNABLE TO READ EXTERNAL DEVICE_

  
_UNABLE TO READ EXTERNAL DEVICE_

  
_UNABLE TO READ EXTERNAL DEVICE_

  
_UNABLE TO READ EXTERNAL DEVICE_

  
_UNABLE TO READ EXTERNAL DEVICE_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter did not have a happy ending but I love y'all <3 And at least someone smacked Rose! Thanks for reading and commenting and enjoying the story!!


	17. Kiss Me, Truthfully

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piers goes to Rose Tower to finally break off his arrangement but encounters a bit of a problem.
> 
> And his strongest ally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I normally don't write to music because it's incredibly distracting to me but I did write this chapter to The Rains of Castamere because a reveal of sneaky shit needs cool music.

Piers was a little upset he never got a dick pic back from Raihan, but sneaking one with Leon in the room was probably pretty hard in retrospect.

He sat in the waiting room at Rose Tower with an exhausted Marnie. That was another can of worms he had to deal with. She’d come back super late from Hop’s. _Really_ late. And while he knew teenagers would be teenagers, he still didn’t quite like it. He’d been a teenager before and a study session that ended at 2 am at a boy’s house while his brother was out of town did not mean studying. 

Not that he wanted to shame her, just make sure things were properly handled. Safely handled. Was now the time to bring up the importance of condoms? Did he even have time before his meeting?

His phone buzzed and with Raihan’s name popping across the front he felt a little bit hypocritical when he answered. They never really handled things properly when they boned. He’d have to change up his approach when bringing it up to Marnie later.

“G’mornin’,” Piers hummed. “How was your trip?”

He was all smiles, eager for a wild story or a sweetly muttered “I miss you”. Until he heard Raihan’s voice.

“Hey, Piers…I…What are you doing?”

Piers tried to keep his smile, since Marnie sat across from him. She’d notice if he suddenly frowned with his boyfriend on the phone, even if she was preoccupied by her camera.

Boyfriend. A bit of an assumption but he liked the way it sounded.

“I’m at Rose Tower,” Piers said. “I think I’ve finally—”

“Whatever he tells you, don’t do it. And don’t believe him—”

“R-Rai, what are ya on about?” Piers laughed nervously to hide the fear swelling in his stomach at Raihan’s voice. “What happened—”

“He tried to pay me off—”

“—Piers, you can come up now.”

“—Piers, listen, I love you—”

Raihan screamed in his ear. Oleana stood at the end of the sofa. Piers thought his mind would split apart trying to give attention to them both. Panic on one side and cold calm on the other. A mixture of hot and cold creating a tornado.

“I…I’ve gotta go,” Piers said, hanging up as Raihan continued talking. He shoved his phone in his pocket. “Marnie, will ya be alright for a few minutes?”

Marnie blinked and looked up, eyes heavy. She nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

He smiled. Knowing she was tired from a “study session” made him hope whatever she was doing was at least _good._

Actual vomit rose in his mouth and he turned back to Oleana. Sharp heels clicked against the marble floor.

“Rose had a bit of an accident,” she said as they took the elevator up the familiar floors to that familiar corridor. “If you will, please don’t comment too much or stare.”

Piers raised a brow. He didn’t question her or pry, though Rose getting into an accident seemed a little odd. And what Raihan said…

Rose tried to pay him off? For what? Knowing Rose, probably to cut all ties. Piers thought they had their relationship pretty tight. No one really knew about them. So how did Rose…

Oleana knocked on the door, announced Piers’s arrival and stepped aside. Once he walked in, Piers tried not to gasp. He finally understood exactly what Oleana meant.

Rose was dressed down, a dryfit shirt and running shorts, a cap and sunglasses. The plain disguise did little to hide the bruising along his cheek and his swollen lip. This was more than an accident. Rose looked like he’d been punched with a freight train.

Lucky freight train.

“Come in, have a seat, Piers,” Rose said with a smile. A ruddy, broken smile. He winced and held his swollen lip. Piers kept his eyes down and quickly sat in the chair across from him. “Need a fix?”

“N-No,” Piers stammered. He heard clicking, as Oleana walked in the room and sat on the sofa behind them. She rarely joined them, so Piers figured Rose had an idea of why he was there.

Or Oleana was there to vouch for his accidental injuries.

“Ah, then you’ve come to stare.” And Rose pulled off his sunglasses. The bruising went up to his eye. Whatever—whoever—hit him, did it with purpose.

Good for them.

“No,” Piers said. “Sorry.”

Rose sat his sunglasses down, folded his hands on his desk and smiled. Painfully. “Well then?”

“I…I want outta our contract.”

Rose snorted. Piers figured he’d scoff at the idea. He bristled a bit, pulling at his knees, waiting for Rose to stop his snide laughter. Stay calm, stay firm. Ignore the painful stabs of laughter.

And don’t cry.

“Oh, you’re serious?” Rose finally said. He narrowed his eyes. “You’re actually serious.”

“I am. I know you’ll sue me. And I’ll figure out fees or whatever. But…I’m done.”

“For sure this time?”

That condescending tone came with a smile to match. Even through the purple splatter of bruising across his cheek, Piers saw it. Heard it. 

“You’re done until you want to get high or dicked down.” Rose snapped his fingers. “No, wait. You have your little boyfriend for that now. Just without a fix.”

Piers swallowed. Maybe Rose knew. Or maybe he just wanted a reaction. Piers tried to keep himself together but Rose was sharp.

“No, you’re a smart one, Piers. Resourceful. We can break the contract. And you’ll hear from my lawyers by the end of the week.” Rose sank back into his chair. “It’s a bit like a breakup, isn’t it? Except one of us is well prepared to handle it while the other only thinks he is. Who knows, maybe your new fling can afford a lawyer for you now. If he’ll even talk to you.”

Piers tilted his head. Wrinkled his nose. “W-What?”

“He hasn’t told you?”

_Don_ _’t do it. Don’t believe him. He tried to pay me off—_

Raihan’s words echoed in the back of his mind, still fresh and searing. Something had happened. Something was horribly wrong.

“Judging by that blank look on your pretty face, let me elaborate,” Rose said. “Your little boyfriend, and his idiot sidekick, tried to head me off in Motostoke. While I was doing some…not so glamorous business with some friends.” And he pulled out a baggy of coke, tossed it on the desk like a fishing lure, hoping Piers would bite. “They thought they could snap a few pictures, probably go to the police with it. Thankfully, I caught them before they could get very far.”

“Ya…ya tried to pay Raihan off.”

“I did pay his silence,” Rose replied. “And he’s receiving a nice little bonus for keeping his hands off you, too.”

Piers inhaled. Shook his head. “Y-You’re lyin’.”

“Am I?” Rose asked. “You may be shocked by how much people like money more than they like fucking you, Piers.”

 _I love you._ Why didn’t he say it back? Why did he panic and hang up on Raihan instead of letting him talk for another second. 

It didn’t add up to what Rose said but the words still cut deep enough to scar. 

_I love you._

He just wanted to hear Raihan’s voice. Appreciate it more. What if Rose was the one telling the truth? What if Raihan…

A tissue appeared at his side and he looked up at Oleana. She didn’t bother looking at him and he’d actually forgotten she was even in the room with them. And he hadn’t noticed how much he had been crying until he pressed the tissue to his cheeks.

“If you want to cut off ties with the photographer, I understand. You don’t even have to apologize for acting up,” Rose said calmly. “Just ignore him, stay with the company that has always, _always_ looked after you and your sister.”

Piers inhaled. Rose liked to drag Marnie into their conversations whenever he was losing. Which meant…Rose was desperate. Piers dug his fingers, topped with cracked black polish, into his jeans.

“You have another meeting, sir,” Oleana said. “I think if Piers has made his decision, we should take the next steps to move forward with the process.”

Sitting back in his chair with his fingers steepled against each other, Rose looked like he had just made a winning move in a game of chess. Maybe he had. Piers tried to stop crying but the more he tried to hold back, the more he wanted to sob. He hated breaking down in front of Rose.

And it would be worse in front of Marnie. But he couldn’t let Rose win this. Not this time.

“Very well,” Rose said, pushing away from his desk. “I’d offer you a bit of blow to go Piers, but since you no longer want to be a part of the company, I am no longer obliged. You can handle this sober. But let me walk you out, at least.”

Piers swallowed and pushed himself out of the chair. “A gentleman, ‘til the end.”

Taking the elevator with Rose, and a rather annoyed Oleana, Piers felt trapped. Claustrophobic. The man who had control over his life now used up every last second to invade his personal space.

When the elevator doors finally opened on the first floor, and Piers glimpsed Wyndon through the windows, he felt so close. Sure he’d have a legal battle ahead, but he could almost taste freedom.

“Ah, Marnie,” Rose said with a smile. “You’ve gotten so big since the last time I saw you.”

Marnie rose, cutting her eyes from Piers to Rose. Piers tried to smile, to make it seem like he was fine. That everything was _fine_.

She shrugged. “Guess so.”

“And you have a camera,” Rose said and pointed. “That’s right! Piers mentioned the trip you went on. You must have enjoyed the experience.”

Rose stalled his escape with a warm smile. Keeping Piers here for every last second he could. He knew what he was doing. And Piers constantly shifting from foot to foot probably got him off in a sick way.

“I did,” Marnie said. She paused, tapping her fingers along her camera. “I really do enjoy takin’ photos. Weddin’s are cool but scenery is better. Like buildin’s, gears. I’ve heard Motostoke is great for that.”

Piers sighed, feeling like he was suffocating. He wanted to leave. Or at least he did, until that warm smile on Rose’s face faltered. The man suddenly paled.

“What?” Rose asked.

His voice cracked. Piers had never heard the man’s voice crack.

“Just some research I did. Lookin’ at shots of Motostoke and its canals,” Marnie replied with a bit of a halfhearted shrug. “Looks like a fun place this time of the year.”

Rose looked sick. Probably bad food but this was so sudden. Even Oleana had a look of surprise on her face, one she tried to hide but failed to.

“The camera is great though,” Marnie said. “I keep all my photos on a memory stick. I’ve already bought a few extra, too. So I can switch them out whenever I want. I put in a new one this mornin’.”

Piers recalled her fiddling with the camera right before they left. Nearly making them late. And now the camera would keep them there longer.

“Marnie, is this really—”

“How…how absolutely charming,” Rose said through his teeth. “And I’m sure you’ll get the photos developed?”

She shrugged, turned on her heel and walked off. Finally, that moody teenager self broke through and Piers couldn’t be more thankful for it.

He waved to Rose, then Oleana. “Bye.”

“Good bye, Piers,” Rose breathed.

There was a panicked finality to his voice. Piers looked around as the man frantically spoke to Oleana. She had a hand over her mouth, just as panicked. He kept walking. Whatever their problem, it was definitely beyond him. 

Walking outside, he inhaled the cool morning air. The burden still sat on his shoulders, but it felt different. Heavier, more dreadful, but the shame that normally dragged him down had disappeared.

“I need to talk to ya,” Marnie said, digging in her pocket.

Piers furrowed his brow. “What’s up?”

She produced a thin memory stick, the sort that she used for her camera. “It’s…gonna be a lot.”

~~

“He’s still not picking up,” Raihan said, hitting the big red END button on his phone screen. He’d lost count of how many times he’d tried calling Piers the moment they came back to Wyndon. Somewhere between ten and another double-digit amount. He feared what Rose would say to him. What Rose would do to him. The man had power, too much power, over Piers and his life. 

He thought about going to Rose tower. Just to see. To demand Piers be released—

“Maybe he’s busy?” Leon said, pacing. “Maybe he’s…I don’t know. I don’t know what he does!”

Leon had his own concerns. Rose may have offered to promote his business, but he could very well destroy it too. Bad PR, Rose paying out more to the models Leon used. Leon didn’t need to worry about Piers when he had concerns about his own company. It was unfair to put that on him.

They were stuck. They were really fucking stuck.

Raihan’s phone buzzed and he looked down to see a text from Piers. His heart skipped a beat.

_Are you home?_

Raihan quickly typed back _YES_ and then started another message when there was a knock at his door. He looked to Leon, who stopped walking long enough to catch his eye. Raihan leapt to his feet and ran across the room.

He swung open the door and Piers stood in the hallway, unharmed, safe, though with an incredibly furious look in his eye. And behind him, Marnie. She clutched a huge folder to her chest and her camera around her neck.

“Piers—”

He threw his arms around Raihan’s neck, pressing their lips together in a kiss. A much needed glimpse of intimacy after Raihan had worried himself sick. He wrapped his arms around Piers, kept him close as Piers pulled back, bleary-eyed.

“I love you too,” Piers said. “But I swear, if ya ever involve my sister in criminal activity again, I will kick your ass into next fuckin’ year.”

Fuck, Raihan missed this man.

“I-I didn’t—”

Marnie held up the folder as she stepped through the doorway. “I told ya, he didn’t. I’m bein’ honest.”

Piers didn’t look very convinced. 

“Uhh…anyone want to tell me what’s going on exactly?” Leon asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Raihan thinking it was Oleana was just a tease. Next chapter is going to be a special POV chapter that was a LOT of fun to write. It's a change of pace but I hope it doesn't disappoint!! <3 
> 
> Thanks for reading!! <3 <3


	18. Fight Me, Candidly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A retelling of Raihan's night in Motostoke, just not from his perspective. 
> 
> Marnie snuck down there with the same intention: To catch Rose. She had a little bit of help, too. Thankfully, she got the brother who knows directions.

_The night before_ _…_

The lights on the overhead flickered with each sway of the train. Marnie ignored it, going over the contents of her backpack. She had her camera, her phone, black gloves, a black beanie she’d pilfered from the bottom of her bro’s closet next to the road flares (she also pilfered), and a plastic zip baggie.

“So this party we’re going to,” Hop said. “Whose is it again?”

Oh, and Hop.

She needed an alibi. Someplace to say she’d be so she could leave the house without Piers getting suspicious. And, well…

Hop _hopped_ on the chance not to study since his brother was out of town. It worked out. Sorta. 

“It’s a friend of Piers’s from uni.”

“I thought he didn’t go to uni.”

“No, his friend is in uni. Piers never bothered. They just know each other.”

Hop narrowed his eyes. She didn’t want to air out all their secrets on a public train. There were other people around still and the less who knew about it, the better.

She had hoped telling him it was a party would deter him but…not really.

“There’s gonna be drugs so if ya wanna hang back, ya can.”

Hop laughed nervously. “Drugs? I’m totally cool with it. I’ve smoked…a marijuana…cigarette before.”

“Ya’ve never hit a blunt in your life.”

“You don’t know that—”

The PA system went off with a pleasant ring. 

“Next stop: Motostoke Station.”

She inhaled. Checked her watched. Alright. It read 8:48 and the last train to Wyndon left at 11:50, sharp. They had two hours to…party.

The train came to a stop at 8:50, and she jumped to her feet, slinging her bag over her shoulder with Hop right on her heels. He looked calm in the face but he definitely had jitters down to his fingertips. 

Other people exited around them and she pulled out her directions. The canals. She’d never been to Motostoke but figured she could find them.

“Ya can wait here,” she offered. “It’s fine.”

“And let you have all the fun?” Hop laughed. “N-No way! I’m a party animal! For sure! But…why’s it at the canals?”

She pulled the map to her chest so he couldn’t see. Maybe telling him was the best option. She really didn’t think he’d actually come along. Sure she needed to say she was with him but she thought she’d be able to scoop at the mention of an out of town college party with sex, drugs and rock n’ roll.

“They’re not super glamorous down there, you know. I guess they’re going for an industrial vibe?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Ya’ve been down to the canals?”

“Oh, yeah. Lee and I used to go all the time. We’d bike to Wedgehurst, from Postwick, and then take the train here. It took like…ten minutes, tops.”

Marnie gripped the paper in her hands a little tighter. Alright, so she definitely needed his help. And time ran out.

“Show me.”

They left the station. The sun was barely setting, glowing orange on everything. She sort of wanted to get some pictures but that would take too much time. She needed to get set up—

“Hey, is that Lee?” Hop laughed and pointed. “He said he and Raihan were coming down for business. HEY—”

Marnie slapped his arm down. “Stop it.”

“It’s cool, they’re not going to tell your brother.”

She slapped his arm down again and jerked him into an alley by the collar of his jacket. Out of sight. Hopefully they hadn’t noticed.

“What’s wrong?”

“Aren’t _you_ supposed to be home studyin’?”

Hop wrinkled his nose. “Well…yeah…I guess you’re right about that. Nearly blew it for myself, huh?”

She pressed her face into her hands, felt the cold in her cheeks as the blood drained dry. She had to stay focused. Out of sight. She pulled out the beanie, smelling of Piers’s hairspray, and slipped it over her hair like it would hide her identity. 

“I need to tell ya somethin’,” she whispered.

“Hm?”

Hop still thought this was all fun and games. Acted like it. Maybe bursting his bubble with a truth needle would bite her in the ass but him not knowing was just as bad. Piers always said honesty is the best policy. Yet he spent a lot of time lying about what was going on with his job, like she couldn’t handle it. And now she did the same to Hop…

“We ain’t goin’ to a party.”

Hop raised an eyebrow. She kept a finger looped in her choker necklace, same as she’d seen Piers do millions of times.

“What do you mean? Why…are we…here…Are you going to kill me?”

He had good reason to be worried, with her sharp expression, but she shook her head. And told him everything. Every little detail she had captured on her phone. Notes, newspaper clippings, meet up dates and locations. She’d caught as much as she should on her phone without Raihan noticing but she’d read much more. Enough to be infuriated.

Enough to know she had to do something because standing by, doing nothing, nearly made her a damn accomplice. 

Hop stared at her, face so pale she thought he would projectile vomit at her any minute. Or go run off crying to find his brother and spill everything. It was probably the safer the thing to do. Go get an adult’s help and all.

Finally, he slapped his cheeks and inhaled. Nodded. “Alright, let’s go do this.”

“W-What?”

“Yeah.”

Marnie swallowed a little. It’s not that she didn’t want his help. She needed it even if she refused to admit it out loud. “Ya ain’t gonna run off?”

Hop leaned against the brick wall opposite her, kicking at a piece of rolled up garbage. “I know this is really crazy, but I dunno, I can sort of relate. I’d do anything for Lee. Even if it was stupid. Especially if I knew someone was hurting him.”

A wave of relief washed over her tensed shoulders and she dropped them.

“Besides, it’s way better than a party. I was…nervous.”

Marnie rolled her eyes. “Why’d ya come along if you’re nervous!”

“I didn’t want to seem like a square!”

She shook her head. So maybe Hop wasn’t a total stick in the mud after all. She didn’t have much time to linger on it. She still had a mission. And time ticked.

“Let’s go.”

They took a back alley to one of the main roads, in case Leon and Raihan were still out. She really couldn’t risk being spotted. But Hop knew the ins and outs of Motostoke easily. He got them to the canals in minutes and they even had a moment to catch a bit of street food. They shared a messy plate of cheesy fries as she observed the canals, and ports. Nothing seemed amiss, with only a sliver of sunlight left. 

It was early and these guys wouldn’t come out until dark. Pitch dark.

“So what’s the plan?” Hop asked. She spun around as he stared at the water, looked at the steps.

“I’m gettin’ pictures and we’re runnin’ back to the station. Fastest route ya know.”

“And if you get caught? Or spotted?”

Marnie inhaled. “If I’m spotted, I think…I have a plan…”

“Well?”

She went over it with him, carefully. Very carefully. And he added anecdotes that had been overlooked. And where to improve. Walked her to a different side of the canal, where the steps were the lowest and closest to the water.

“And if caught?” he asked again.

Marnie shook her head. “Get back to Wyndon and…tell Piers everythin’. Key’s in the bag.”

She slipped her bag off her shoulder and he took it. With the sun down she’d have a hard time navigating the streets without him. She had to be careful.

Like, super careful.

“You got this,” Hop said and held out his fist. 

She stared at his hand for a moment, stuffed the freezer baggie in her jacket, multiple road flares in her back pockets, and slid the camera strap over her head. She bumped his fist with her own.

“I hope.”

They separated. Hop went to his spot and she hurried off, back to the canal end that lead to the narrow body of water. Where ships docked at the ports. She took the back ways, like he’d told her, to avoid high traffic and being spotted. The most she encountered was a stray dog nibbling on trash, so she paused to empty a half eaten burger on the ground for it, free of plastic, before hurrying off.

She checked her watch. It was almost ten. She just hoped she wasn’t too late.

~~

Getting back to the docks was easy. She ducked behind a crate, slightly elevated, so she had a great view of Port R. Pulling her beanie down lower, smelling the hairspray. It made her stomach turn. Not the scent but just that it belonged to her brother. And he’d been hurt. Maybe not as bad as Bede, but pain was pain. And it was undeserved.

She pulled up her camera, took off the flash and waited.

And waited.

She snapped a few pictures of the port, for reference, and waited another eternity before there was any movement. They caught her eye, with stumbling movement and she sank lower. They weren’t the crime lords she’d come to capture.

Raihan and Leon crept through the shadows.

They got closer than she had and were eye-level. Maybe it was a better vantage point than her hawks’ view, but at least she could capture everything.

She exhaled. This whole time she’d assumed they were really on a business trip, like Raihan had brushed the whole Rose thing aside. Raihan must really like Piers to do this. The sort of special like that wasn’t just superficial and fleeting. 

It made her heart uneasy a bit. Not in a bad way, like she was worried, just different. She couldn’t remember the last time Piers dated someone who made him smile.

The real sort. Not smiling to be nice but just smiling. Whenever they chatted on the phone or she brought up Raihan’s photography, she saw it. 

She had reservations about going away to college, leaving her brother behind because yeah he was an adult but he also forgot to drink water at times too. 

But…

She looked at Raihan against, his camera up and and ready, bathed in the shadow of a crate with the intention to catch this bastard. The same as her.

But maybe if Raihan stayed around, things wouldn’t be too bad?

Breathing suddenly hurt. She rubbed at her eyes with the sleeve of her hoodie, because damn this dusty port making her eyes water. And damn being scared of getting caught because it would suck but it would be worse for Piers. She felt it all at once, fear and anxiety and anger. Keeping it together would be hard and she had to. She absolutely had to.

With a sniffle, she changed her position, because squatting for nearly an hour had left her legs numb as fuck, and fell back a little too hard.

Raihan looked over his shoulder and she held her breath. Listened to them whisper, and her own heart pounding in her ears. She couldn’t let them spot her. It would throw them off, ruin everything.

Thankfully there was movement and lights that lit up the canal.

She got back up, steadying an arm on one knee, the other knee pressed to the cold crate. She couldn’t hear a thing, but she knew Rose’s outline. And she knew the outline of an important briefcase, probably filled with money. Sure it sounded cliche, but she’d seen the movies.

Thankfully, she’d experimented enough with night exposure to get decent shots without a flash.

Rose. Plenty of Rose, especially when he stepped into the flashlight rays all his little friends had, with the open case of money. She caught the gang too. Not much of their faces, but definitely the huge squares of stark white cocaine they loaded into that fancy car.

Sweat pooled under her arms, down her back. Her knee burned, pressed on the hard surface for too long and she ignored it.

She was close. So. Fucking. Close.

Then a flash went off.

Her heart fell out of her chest. She hadn’t even taken a picture—

Burly men ran over to Raihan and Leon’s hiding spot. Dragged them out. She held her breath and watched. 

Should she call the cops? Would they have known about this? Would they even get here in time? She could not watch her brother’s bastard boss kill Raihan. 

This would be tricky but she had to do something.

She carefully got down from her raised crate, crept around the corner and right up to where the guys had been hiding. She inhaled. She took a few careful photos, just to prove Rose had definitely threatened them. Pulled out two road flares and her lighter. 

Here was the trickier part, where she wished to be an octopus.

Flash. Light. Throw.

Flash. Light. Throw.

Practicing in her mind would have to suffice.

With a final breath, she hit the flash on her camera.

The bruisers weren’t expecting it. Not _another_ rat.

She took fast pictures. Well, less pictures and more just flashes of light to startle and confuse everyone at once. Even Raihan and Leon blinked hard at the sudden lights. 

The flashes caused enough panic and confusion for her to let her camera fall from her fingers as she lit the road flares. So playing with these as a kid and begging Piers to show her how they worked was definitely not the safest bonding experience but it came in handy. She tossed them at the bruisers as they hurried in her direction. 

Smoke in angry red rose, illuminating faces far away from her. Too much light and noise. And considering they were meeting in the dead of the night, they didn’t want light and noise.

“CATCH HIM!” Came Rose’s voice.

And that was Marnie’s cue to get the fuck out. 

She ran, as the bruisers staggered back to attention, taking the routes Hop told her. The careful back alleys. Hoping no one would—

“There he is!” came a gruff shout. “COME ‘ERE YOU RAT!”

Marnie squealed and turned. Wrong move. She didn’t know that way. It could lead to a dead end or more gangsters. She didn’t have a choice.

Clatter followed her down the alley, a metallic sound like something heavy hitting brick. Those men had crowbars.

She did not want to come in contact with a crowbar.

Another turn, another alley. She hoped she could get back on track. As long as she could get to the water—

“YOU!”

A man wearing all black headed her off and she screamed too loud, nearly falling right into his hands before backing up. Heart pounding, hands trembling. Thumbs in, Piers had told her about throwing a punch, and wrist firm.

But the man was a bit too fast for her recall. He snatched her by the arm, went in for the other. Marnie squirmed against him, shaking herself angrily. Screaming would bring attention but would it draw in help or more gangsters? Could she take that chance?

“Listen girlie, you’re causing a lot of trouble for us. And that ain’t real ladylike—”

Marnie spit in his face. “How’s that for ladylike ya snaggle-toothed motherfucker!”

If anything, the mobster was taken back enough by her cursing to pause. Piers would be proud. But that pause came back with a punch that grazed her chin, and only because she kept moving. 

“You little bitc—AHHH!!”

Neither of them had noticed the dog. It came from the shadows and bit the man on the leg, long enough for him to yelp and let her go. He swatted at the dog but it ran off, disappearing back into the shadows with a paid debt.

The man held his bleeding leg. If Marnie’s squeals hadn’t drawn attention, he certainly had. 

But she now had an opening.

First things first, however. She tucked in her thumb and swung with enough force to shatter brick. Her punch landed square in the man’s face as he stood hunched over his leg. The henchman collapsed on the ground, a tooth skittering across concrete and Marnie shaking her hand.

Alright, so maybe she would tell Piers about this if they survived.

She didn’t have much time to gloat over her victory. She heard more noise and time steadily ticked against her. 

Running again, she pulled off her camera and stuffed it into the freezer bag, sealing it tight, hoping it would work. She’d planned for this already, as backup, and it looked like it would come in handy.

She came to the edge of the water and hoped she could get around to where Hop had suggested. She had a lot of hopes at the moment and didn’t have much more choice as her plan frayed apart.

Stuffing her camera into the front of her zipped jacket, she jumped.

Cold water hit her like a punch to the gut. Pinpricks of ice pierced through her clothes. She ignored it and she swam.

And swam. Above she heard the sounds of the search still going, of angry men, their panic a combination of worry and frustration.

“What’s the boss gonna say?”

“We lost a _girl?_ ”

“He’s gonna have our heads!”

“Our heads! My PAYCHECK!”

She kept swimming, staying by the tall walls, right hand always pressed against brick, just as Hop said. Until she came to the first opening. 

It was dark, save for the moonlight and a few overhead street lamps. Dark enough for her to worry. With a hard swallow, a bit of sea salt scraping the insides of her throat and the broken skin on her knuckles, she whistled. _Just call to Shadowfax_ because _of course_ Hop was the biggest nerd ever.

The noise echoed as she waited, shivering.

A light flashed four times. Then came the sound of a bird.

Marnie inhaled and swam forward, to the first set of stairs. They were a bit too high to reach on her own, but with Hop kneeling down, he pulled her up the rest of the way.

“Well?”

She nodded and pulled the camera out of her jacket. She quickly checked it.

And it was dry.

“Let’s go.”

With the camera stuffed back in the backpack, they took the back alleys to the station. 

Got checked in, just as the the last call for the 11:50 train came.

“Hurry!” Hop panted, racing to the entrance. Marnie breathed hard, giving her pass to the woman at the booth, just as below, three of the grunts dressed in black barged into the station.

Everything happened in painful slow-mo. They looked up at her and she held their gaze, for a brief moment, before stepping into the train.

The final bell went off.

The three grunts started to run, stumbling over each other as the doors slid closed. Several security guards rushed over, to contain the situation as it grew too aggressive. As they demanded the train stop. They shouted and cursed and threw punches.

Marnie held up her middle finger to the window as the train started to move, still dripping wet and shivering.

And they were gone. 

Only then did the rush of adrenaline leave her body. She fell forward, leaning against a seat and holding her head. She pulled off the soaking wet beanie and realized just how terribly cold she was. The A/C in the train blew hard and they would still go through Circhester station too. They had several hours on the train.

“Do you want to change?” Hop asked. He flushed a little. “Sorry if that’s really bold but this car is empty. I think the service cart will still come through though…It’s just a long ride to sit in wet clothes.”

She wrung off the hat on the steps, leaving a puddle of water. “I’ll change.”

Hop left the bag open on one of the seats and sat in the compartment facing away, towards the main door the trolley would come through. Marnie quickly changed into dry clothes though her damp skin made them sticky. They were still an improvement from her wet clothes that made her shiver. She threw them all in the bag, zipped it up and threw it on the floor at Hop’s feet. Then she sat next to him, taking the window seat and holding her camera.

“How…was it?”

“Scariest thing I’ve ever done,” she said. Then she thought about it. Alright, it was also really stupid. That hit her harder than the train would. She pulled out her phone. It had been left in Hop’s possession, in case he needed to contact Piers. She checked for messages and saw SKUNK MAN across the screen, a message received only twenty minutes ago.

SKUNK MAN: _Just checking in on you. Let me know if you need anything or if I need to come pick you up._

She exhaled, quickly typed back with numb thumbs.

_All good! Just gettin thru these notes. Thx & love ya!!_

It was a bold faced lie but she couldn’t let him know she wasn’t completely safe halfway across the country. Later. Tomorrow, at some point.

“You okay?”

She looked up at Hop. He had genuine concern in his eyes.

“Yeah, just takin’ it all in,” she replied. The train swayed a bit. “Wanna see the pictures?”

“Uh, of course!”

She retold the entire story, picture by picture. Relived the most insane thrill of her life. She stopped, only when the trolley came and they both grabbed hot chocolates, without any question.

God, Marnie hoped this was enough. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was so much fun to write (I love Marnie) and such a great change of pace a bit. Next week will be back to the usual but I hope you all enjoyed this detour! <3


	19. Kiss Me, Triumphantly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Court is exhausting, but the verdict just may be worth it

Raihan sat outside the Wyndon court room on a wooden bench, blood slowing its rush in his heart. They’d been in and out for four days. Four very long days. Each dragging from sun up to down, with a break for lunch. He didn’t understand the legal jargon, but he understood the verdict.

Clearly.

A cold hand slid into his and he looked at Piers sitting next to him. A smile pulled on his lips despite the exhaustion pulling on his eyes. They’d both been drilled, re-drilled. Asked questions in ten different ways by attorneys.

Marnie had curled up into Piers’s side, dozing and clutching her camera bag. Sonia, Leon and Hop sat next to her, all there for support. Except Lee, who also had to do a fair bit of testifying with Marnie’s photos as evidence. He’d been dragged right into the mess, too.

And now Raihan’s boyfriend sat with a hefty stack of signed papers.

Wait. 

That was one thing he still hadn’t clarified. They’d been so busy with arrests and testimonies and court Raihan hadn’t a chance to bring up the question that struck him in Motostoke.

Piers must have read his mind, or his face really showed it, because Piers tapped his hand with a finger. Chipped black polish danced across Raihan’s skin.

“Ya looked bothered. What’s goin’ on up there?”

Raihan looked back at him, at this gentle man he’d opened himself up to. Did a label even matter? Not now. Just that they were here, together, and safe. 

He adjusted, raising his arm to wrap around Piers’s shoulders. Piers slid closer and Marnie stirred, just to follow him.

“Just thinking,” Raihan said. “About a lot. But I know I really love you.”

A soft dust of color rose up to Piers’s cheeks from his neck. No spines or walls, just the gentleness underneath. Marnie elbowed her brother.

“Ow, what—”

“Say it back,” she whispered (but not really) through gritted teeth.

Piers nudged back at her. “I’m gonna! Why are ya in my business?”

“You’re sort of loud,” Sonia said. She had her back pressed against Leon’s arm, her feet tangled with Marnie’s boots. She wrinkled her nose. “You both are.”

Raihan flushed. “Come on, Sonia.”

They all laughed, like they weren’t sitting in a criminal courthouse after hearing a judge’s ruling. All too soon, that reality came back.

The doors to the courtroom swung open. The bailiff walked out, followed by several officers, a rather defeated attorney and his clients, both in handcuffs. 

Rose stopped abruptly, eyes narrowed. The officers surrounding him immediately grew tense. Oleana barely looked up.

“Congratulations on your little victory,” Rose said through his teeth. After two weeks of having his name dragged through mud, the man looked weary; messy hair, in need of a shave, bags under his eyes. Oleana looked just as exhausted with her hair up and no vibrant lipstick. “It seems things are looking a little brighter for you and your boyfriend. And your meddling sister.”

Marnie beamed, but Raihan felt Piers stiffen, heard him swallow. He didn’t have to answer or even acknowledge Rose. But Raihan had seen the habits brought on by what Rose put him through. The constant struggle of wanting to run and being pulled into an argument. 

This time, the latter won.

“They’re a lot brighter now that you’ll be out of the way.” Piers’s voice didn’t tremble when he spoke but it still made Rose smile.

“You’ll still be sued,” Rose said. Raihan felt an angry fire burn inside, felt the way Piers shrank against him. “You still broke your contract. You’ll still be stripped of what you’re worth. Not that it’s much—”

Oleana cleared her throat.

“My apologies, sir, but I never got a chance to file that report.”

Silence lingered as Rose snapped around at her. “What?”

“Piers’s resignation, sir,” she calmly reiterated. “It was never written down.”

Rose’s face blanched, his eyes wide. Even Piers looked shocked to hear her words. Raihan didn’t have every detail, just what highlights Piers gave him, but he had a general grasp on contracts from working with Lee…

If the company went under, all contracts are terminated. Clients keep their assets. 

“What…Oleana, what—”.

“It wasn’t processed so there’s no record of it,” she continued in her even tone. “Sometimes, you talk a bit too much and I’m unable to focus—”

Rose’s icy coil snapped. He turned on Oleana, fists raised as he screamed profanities. He never got close enough to hit her before the officer on standby grabbed him. The second helped, as well as the bailiff, dragging Rose away as he kicked and screamed down the hallway to the elevators. His voice echoed until the doors closed on him.

His company gone, name gone. Fines to be paid and on his way to jail. Even his consolation prize of a broken Piers with nothing, gone. Raihan could almost feel bad for him.

Almost.

He didn’t.

Oleana let out a sigh as she turned to them. The guard with her looked impatient. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Raihan asked. “You’re still…” He gestured to her handcuffs.

“I knew I would be convicted. But with your help, my sentence isn’t as bad.” She held up her bound wrists, shrugged. She’d known, from the very beginning, that reaching out meant she would be convicted alongside Rose. “I failed, on my part, so this is the result I have to accept.”

Raihan didn’t understand why she refused to fight for a lesser sentence. She’d been content with her bit of jail time. Watching the entire company crumble, her job included, seemed to be more important.

“You know, once you’re out and need a position, I’m sure Champion will have a spot,” Leon offered. Oleana smiled a little.

“You’re kind, all of you—”

Her eyes went elsewhere, to the kid walking around the corner, dressed in a magenta coat. Raihan recognized Bede outside of the hospital bed. Same hair, same sort of scowl on his face except the softness in his eyes. 

Oleana left them, to go talk with Bede, their voices too low to be heard, but expressions clear: wondering why, apologetic, bittersweet. Bede hugged her around the neck and Oleana looked at peace as the officer finally pulled her away.

Raihan half expected Bede to walk over, demand to know why they incriminated the one person who looked out for him. But all Bede did was glance at them, barely, before leaving.

The tension faded. Hop let out the biggest sigh of relief on the far end of the bench, slumping back as if he had been the one to have almost suffered the attack. Poor kid.

But they were done. Finally, done.

“We’re, uh, we’re gonna go grab burgers after this,” Leon said. “Do you guys want to come with?”

Besides the past few weeks sitting in the courthouse, Raihan had never hung out with his friends and Piers in a group. A real group, outside of work. Piers shifted a little and a sparkle came into his eyes.

“That sounds nice,” Piers said and looked back to Raihan. “Wanna go?”

Rose was behind them and now there was just a future. Something sparkling and new with promise that Raihan didn’t want to let go. He would chase it, that future, and not look back.

“Yes please!’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Sorry this chapter is so short. I did noooooot want to go into a full-blown courtroom scene for this. BUT we've made it to the end. Next week with be the last update for this fic. I'm both excited and sad for it to end but it has truly been great <3


	20. Kiss Me, Always

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end. But it's a happy end.

Three months later…

“Alright, Hop lean in a little—No, Leon. No you. Stand back where you were. Hop, lean in—LEON. STAY. PUT.”

Piers couldn’t stop himself from laughing as Raihan tried to instruct Hop on where to stand while also getting Leon to stay put. Marnie handed Piers her graduation cap and ran over. She quickly pulled Leon back into place, straighted his cap and then adjusted Hop. He held his diploma and she flipped it so it wasn’t upside down.

Raihan sighed as Sonia kept laughing. “Thanks, Marns.”

The graduation ceremony had been nice. Midday on a Saturday and absolutely boring. A long list of names and speeches. Piers hadn’t expected Raihan to come, much less sit through the whole thing, but he definitely made it better. But Marnie, and Hop, graduated with top marks. It was a load of stress removed from his shoulders. That and she’d decided on a photography school in Wyndon. Piers still had his worries, especially with her moving in with some friends, but she would be close by for visits and he would be close by for emergencies.

Marnie went through Raihan’s camera bag, putting something away, taking something out when he asked. She’d taken the position of his assistant. Part-time and paid. And so far, Raihan hadn’t a single complaint.

“Sonia, come on!” Hop called. Sonia blushed and Piers extended a hand, taking her purse. He slung it over his shoulder, and it nearly took him to the ground with its brick weight. She scurried to stand next to them and the brothers beamed bright at the camera.

“Okay, you two next,” Raihan said, nodding his head. Marnie pulled Piers by the arm and he gave Sonia her purse back as they exchanged places.

They’d decided on the Wyndon fairgrounds for their graduation day pictures. It was big, purely Wyndon, with dazzling light displays from the huge screens and ferris wheel as evening set. Blues and pinks and oranges saturated their skin in celebration.

Three months felt like a long time to heal but Piers still had trouble truly fathoming everything they’d been through. From sobbing with Raihan a rooftop to signing on with Champion and writing new lyrics. The whirlwind left him breathless.

“Smile, both of you this time,” Raihan called.

Marnie stuck her fingers in her mouth and pulled at the corners, tucking her diploma under her arm. And who was Piers to correct her? He stuck his fingers in his mouth, pushing his lips into a smile uniquely Marnie’s that still suited them both.

He heard Raihan laughing behind the camera. “That’s actually a really great shot.”

“Ah, lemme see!” Marnie called. She bounded over to him and Raihan flipped through the pictures. Marnie’s face stay lit up. “We gotta take a picture together. The three of us.”

Piers flushed, but Raihan quickly flipped his camera around.

“Selfie alright?”

Marnie pulled Piers in close. They’d talked about Raihan before. He wanted to know her opinion on him, to see how she felt about him hanging around. And while he sometimes received answers, other times shrugs, her eagerness for a photo together with the two of them made him smile.

Genuinely.

Marnie and Hop threw their graduation robes, caps and diplomas back in the car. There was really no point in coming to the carnival and not actually enjoying it. And the robe would hamper Marnie’s throwing arm at the ball toss.

“Want me to win you one of the cats?” Raihan asked, nudging Piers in the side. He grimaced.

“No, ‘cause then it will be at my house and take up space—”

Leon grabbed Raihan by the shoulder with a flame in his eye. “They have a water gun race game.”

Ten minutes and three games later, Raihan pushed the biggest black and white cat plush he could find into Piers’s arms. The thing was bigger than him with a pink tongue that hung on his head. It was a little better than the yellow corgi Leon won Sonia. Thankfully, Raihan opted to carry it and bought Piers a thing of cheesy fries.

But it was fun. Walking around with Raihan and Marnie. His new friends. Nothing brought people together more than a joint court case but after that dust settled, and Piers let himself be a bit more unguarded, he found a comfortable friendship with Leon and Sonia. One he never would have dreamed of months ago, tossing hairspray cans and screaming at people. Having friends was still new but starting off with two was fine so far.

Raihan stuck out his tongue and Piers fed him another cheese fry. It was hard to really eat carrying around a massive cat plush but they managed.

“You know this is a semi-date, right? Because we’re dating,” Piers deadpanned. Raihan nearly choked.

“I _know_ that _now_ ,” Raihan laughed, bumping Piers’s shoulder.

“I’m just makin’ sure.”

They’d been dating for about five months, according to Piers, but to Raihan it had only been three months. Piers had assumed where Raihan frantically wondered and they had more laughs about their unclear relationship status than problems. But officially stamping Raihan as his boyfriend did feel nice.

_I_ _’m taken. I’m meetin’ my boyfriend._

They all had nice rings to them.

Then he saw those bright colors, flashing and vibrant and so full of life as the ferris wheel slowly spun. It was the pulsing heart of Wyndon, even if it wasn’t in the center. Everyone knew the city for it, a landmark on every poster, the must-see sight in every brochure.

A gasp escaped Raihan from behind the plush trophy. “We should ride it!”

Piers spun around. “What?”

“The ferris wheel!” Raihan said. “Last time we didn’t get a chance so I owe you at least one ride. And it’ll be a gorgeous sight with the lights and setting sun— Unless, you don’t want to?”

“Okay.”

Raihan raised his eyebrows. Piers felt his mouth dry up, licked his lips and nodded. This felt forbidden, but it was his.

“Let’s go,” Piers finally said. “I want to.”

Raihan’s shock dissipated into a gentleness Piers knew. He extended a hand and Piers took it as they walked.

Marnie and Hop stood in line with a girl from their class; Piers only recognized her because he’d seen her earlier. And a ways away, Leon and Sonia took goofy selfies with cotton candy. 

Normal. 

And it was his. Something good he finally had a part in.

“Ready?” Raihan grinned at the ticket booth.

They walked up steps, followed the worker as he guided them into the gondola. The door opened and closed and they sat on the bench, pulling down the bar. The cat sat strapped in at Raihan’s other side as Piers sank into him. A strong arm draped over his shoulders. His every pulse felt heavy, beating too loud in his ears for something so simple.

And they slowly rose.

“They’ll have to load all the gondolas before we actually go around,” Raihan explained. “But look out at the city. Isn’t it gorgeous?”

Piers leaned against him, peering out over the city. Lights glimmered and winked back against the setting sun, but when he caught a glimpse at Raihan, this magic scenery faded. How could it ever compare to the man sitting next to him?

“When is Marnie moving out?”

Piers wrinkled his nose. “Two weeks. I know it’s gonna go by too fast…”

“You’ll get to have fun. And she’ll be close by.”

Sure, but then he’d have an empty place. Except for the plush cat. Maybe he should get a real cat…

“You know, they’re building new townhomes not too far from my condo. They’re in a pretty good neighborhood and they look nice. A few are opening up next week for tours. I’ve looked online a bit at their floor plans even.”

Piers laughed and smoothed his bangs from his face. The higher they rose, the more persistent the wind became. “Are ya tryin’ to get me to move to a nicer neighborhood? Or do ya just hate the community laundry room?”

“I don’t mind it…”

“Is it still about ya losin’ that shirt?”

“I _loved_ that shirt and that dryer ate it!”

Raihan kept convincing Piers to come to his condo for laundry day. Piers didn’t mind, plus getting to lounge in his boyfriend’s place while his clothes dried was much more fun than the little community wash room.

Although the topic, so suddenly, made Piers wonder. Perhaps a bit too boldly but he couldn’t help where his thoughts wandered.

“Are ya…askin’ me to move in with ya?” The anxiety building in Piers rose with their gondola. He gripped the edge of the bench, wishing he could take the words back as soon as they left.

But Raihan raised his brows. “No—”

Piers flushed. Now would have been a great time to just leap out of the gondola and run away into the shadows—

“—I’m asking if you want to buy a house together. Something that’s ours.” Raihan pried Piers’s hand from the bench, interlocking their fingers, replacing the intense worry with reassurance. Piers trembled with the touch.

“That’s a big step,” he said, throat dry. “Are ya sure you’re ready to tolerate me that much?”

Piers didn’t want to scare Raihan off. Even now, dating and after everything, he feared Raihan would discover something ugly, rung away.

Rot, Piers had once thought of it. 

“I love every moment with you. And it’s greedy but…I want more,” Raihan smiled. “Besides, Marnie is down to go look too.”

“You’ve already talked to my sister about it?”

“She saw my searches so I couldn’t really hide it from her,” he laughed. “From what’s online, they look great. Built-in laundry room, three bedroom, two bath. We could have a master and a guest room for her or studio spaces. Great kitchen space—”

Piers cupped his face with the tips of his fingers and pulled him into a gentle kiss. “I absolutely love ya. And I would absolutely love to get a house with ya.”

That determination and excitement shifted in Raihan’s eyes. He melted, pressing his face into Piers’s palm as the ferris wheel made its loop. “I love you, too.”

“Ya know we’re still datin’ and you’re my boyfriend, right?”

“Come _on_!” Raihan flushed, but he still pulled Piers into a tight embrace, face buried into his shoulder. Piers laughed, wholeheartedly, with arms thrown over Raihan’s shoulders and the city dazzling around them. 

It wasn’t really a fairytale, this city or Raihan. It was all real. And it was his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've made it to the end yet again. Thank you all for enjoying this fic and reading and commenting and being a part of this. It was a total passion project and I'm glad I was able to share it with you all. I hope to see you all in future projects (because let's be honest there will be more). Until next time and have a great week!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! I've been working on this fic for almost three months now (between edits and writing) and I'm excited to actually start posting it! I'm looking at mondays and thursdays for updates right now <3 Starting next week I'll keep to a double update schedule.
> 
> EDIT: Going down to Monday updates ONLY through the holidaze
> 
> Follow me on twitter @porgatine for earlier updates and general fic ramblings!!


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